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20 hurt as Ctg RMG workers clash with cops

Our Correspondent, ctg
At least 20 garment workers were injured when several thousand workers of three factories clashed with police in Kalurghat BSC1C industrial area in the port city yesterday demanding a raise in the wages.
The authorities declared the factories of Orchid Sweater Ltd. Global Specialised Ltd (Unit-2) and Savar Sweater Ltd of the Azim Group closed in the afternoon after a meeting with BGMEA leaders.
During the clash, operations at some 100 other industrial units at the Kalurghat BSCIC (Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation) and adjoining areas were suspended to avert further labour unrest.
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Witnesses said around 3,000 workers of the three factories of Azim Group started demonstration at around 9:00am as the owners allegedly refused to meet their demands, including introduction ofbasic-paysystem. ,
The clash ensued when police started firing rubber bullets and lobbing teargas-shells on the agitating workers to disperse them, the workers alleged.
Police fired over 100 rounds of rubber bullet, sources said.
The workers said that the factory owners assured them of giving a decision regarding their demands on Friday, but they failed and requested the workers for another meetingyesterday morning.
But police in separate raids on Friday night arrested 10 workers of the factories at their houses, thus forcing them to take to the street, they alleged.
Police also arrested 10 workers from the spot yesterday.
Of the injured, Mahmudur Rahman, 22, Sujan Das, 28, Majeda Akhter, 25, Parvin Akhter, 20. Lucky Akhter. 19 and Krishna Das, 20, with bullet wounds were taken to the Chittagong Medical College Hospital (CMCH).
Around 12 platoons of police were deployed for bringing the situation under control.
At one point, some of the workers set fire to lyres at different places inside the BSCIC zone and started pelting the police with stones.
The workers also put up barricades on the Bahadderhat-Kalurghat road at Moulabhi Pukurpar area at around 11:30am that caused a severe traffic gridlock.
Police with the help of Bangladesh Rifles, Rapid Action
Battalion (Rab) and Armed Police Battalion (APBn) dispersed the agitating workers.
Later, four trucks of army personnel also reached the area.
Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Chandgaon Police Station Nurul Islam said that the workers of the three factories did not work on Friday demanding introduction of basic-pay system in the salary structure alongside the piece-rate system.
On May 6, workers of the same factories went on a rampage and vandalised over 50 vehicles in the industrial zone demanding an increase in their share of piece-rate on each garment product and breakfast allowances. After a meeting. the owners met their demands.
The new demand of introducing the basic-pay system was raised a fewdaysago, sources said.
Rashed, a worker of Global Specialised Ltd (Unit-2), said that the workers could not enjoy any overtime bill in the piece-rate system in absence of basic-pay and many of them feel that they are getting lower salary during the off-peak hours.
Contacted. BGMEA First Vice President MA Salam termed the demands placed by the workers illogical.
He said, under the piece-rate system each worker of the sweater factories usually draws Tk 4,000 to Tk 6,000, whereas the minimum basic salary of a worker of a ready made garments (RMG) factors stands at Tk 1.200, comprising 60% of the minimum wage scale of Tk 1,663.
"As per the labour law, there is no scope for demanding both the basic-pay scale and piece-rate system in the salary structure at the same time," the BGMEA leader added.