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Ashulia industrial zone now battlefield

Production in scores of factories stops for third day as garment workers go berserk over higher pay

Kailash Sarkar
The readymade garment belt at Ashulia turned into a battleground yesterday, as several thousand apparel workers clashed with police for a third straight day, with production
remaining suspended in more than 300 factories.
At least 100 people, including 10 policemen, were injured in the four-hour sporadic clashes while the agitating workers ransacked around 20 factories and vandalised some 100 vehi-
cles, police and witnesses said.
The clash erupted around 8:30am when the police charged baton to disperse the agitators, who took to the streets demanding a pay hike and also protesting the police action on some fellow workers on Tuesday night.
The demonstrators put blockades on Dhaka-Tangail highway at Narasinghapur, halting traffic for about four hours since 8:00am causing immense sufferings to commuters.
It all began on Monday when about 4,500 workers of Artistic Design Ltd, a packaging factory of Ha-Meem Group owned by FBCCI President AK Azad, took to the streets around 9:00am demanding a raise in their wages.
Several thousand workers from other factories in the area joined them within hours, forcing the authorities to suspend production in more than 100 factories.
However, following two days of clashes, the authorities at a meeting with the labour minister and labour leaders on Tuesday afternoon decided to resume production from yesterday.
But around 8:00pm on Tuesday, the authorities of Ha-Meem Group and police beat up at least 30 workers of Express Washing and Dyeing, another sister concern of Ha-Meem Group, a numberofworkers alleged.
When workers of Artistic Design Ltd went to their factory around 8:00am yesterday in line with Tuesday's decision, they found it locked.
This along with the news of torture on fellow workers the night before prompted them to stage demonstration, workers said.
Later, workers of other factories joined them, demanding action against those involved in torturing their colleagues, in addition to their demand for a pay raise.
Police charged baton, fired 135 rubber bullets and 33 teargas and used water cannons to disperse the workers, who responded with brickbats, Fayezul Kabir, deputy director of Industrial Police, told The DailyStar.
Asked about police action onsome workers onTuesday night, he said police were forced to take action as the workers of the washing and dyeing unit were locked in a clash inside the factory.
"They were fighting as one group wanted to join work while another opposed it," he said, adding: "Then the police had to charge baton to disperse them.”
Around 3,000 law enforcers, including Industrial Police, Dhaka district police, Armed Police Battalion and Rapid Action Battalion were deployed in the area yesterday.
The agitating workers left the streets only when the district administration announced around 12:30pm that the prime minister herself was looking into the matter and that she asked the workers to calm down, witnesses said.
Meanwhile, factory owners in the area yesterday again decided to reopen their units from today upon the assurance that there would be no damage to their factories.
The decision came from a tripartite meeting between the government, factory owners and labour leaders. Labour and Employment Minister Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain chaired the meeting at his office.
A three-member committee was formed at the meeting to look into the cause of frequent clashes in the garment sector, including the last three days' violence.
Talking to this correspondent, Brig Gen (retd) Mohammad Ali Mondal, director of the project in Ashulia of Ha-Meem Group, onTuesday said the workers wanted a raise between Tk 1,500 and2,000.
Currently, a garment worker gets between Tk 3,000 and 5,500 a month.
Workers say the amount is too little at a time when house rents and prices of essentials are increasing sharply.
Mohammad Ali, however, said the issue of pay hike could not be settled by a single company. It must be resolved through discussion among all the stakeholders, including the government.