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The Ashulia industrial zone witnessed fresh unrest on Tuesday as garment workers blocked a major road, prompting authorities to declare a one-day general holiday at more than 100 factories.
Workers staged demonstrations in the Jamgora area of the Baipail-Abdullahpur road, demanding a minimum monthly wage of Tk 30,000, an end to what they described as arbitrary blacklisting, reinstatement of dismissed workers and the release of arrested labourers.
According to eyewitnesses, workers entered factories at the scheduled time in the morning, punched their attendance cards and initially joined work as usual.
However, workers at several factories, including Envoy, Hollywood, The Rose and Next Collection of Hamim Group, later stopped work to press their demands.
At around 10:30am, protesters blocked the road in Jamgora, triggering clashes and chases between workers and police. Police fired rubber bullets, tear gas and sound grenades to disperse the demonstrators.
Mohammad Mominul Islam Bhuiyan, superintendent of Ashulia Industrial Police-1, said police asked the workers to leave after they attempted to create disorder. The protesters then threw bricks and stones at police, prompting officers to use tear gas and batons.
Two workers were injured in the police action, while four to five police personnel were also hurt by stones thrown by protesters, he said.
Factory authorities declared a one-day general holiday at more than 100 garment factories to maintain order.
The injured workers were identified as Raziya Begum, a sewing machine operator, and Alamgir Hossain, a finishing section operator at Sterling Styles Ltd. They were taken to Ashulia Women and Children Hospital.
Raziya alleged that police fired tear gas and rubber bullets at workers as they were peacefully returning home after their factory announced a holiday.
Harun-or-Rashid, operations manager of the hospital, said both workers received treatment there. Raziya, who had an injury to her head, was given initial treatment before being referred to Dhaka Medical College Hospital. Alamgir left after receiving primary treatment.
Khairul Mamun Mintu, legal affairs secretary of the Bangladesh Garment and Sweater Workers Trade Union Centre, said workers at New Age factory in Narsinghpur found an indefinite closure notice at the main gate when they arrived for work in the morning.
Angered by the announcement, they began protesting against the factory closure, prompting nearby factories to declare holidays amid fears of further unrest, he said.
Mintu also alleged that police fired rubber bullets and tear gas at workers as they left factories to return home, injuring several of them.
Bhuiyan said additional police personnel had been deployed in the Ashulia industrial zone to prevent further incidents. Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) members were also on the ground to ensure security.
