Affrontements à Mirpur – avril 2010
Workers, cops clash over pay hike: 20 hurt
nation.ittefaq.com
May 1, 2010
Vehicular movement came to a halt in the capital’s Mirpur area for about two hours yesterday following sporadic clashes between law enforcers and garments workers that left at least 20 people injured.
The workers continued clashes for the fourth consecutive day on Friday, a day after Member of Parliament of Mirpur area Kamal Ahmed Mazumdar assured them of talking to their owners under his constituency about their demands. Local sources said several hundred workers of different garment factories started demonstration in Mirpur at about 9:00 am, demanding their pay hike.
Chase and counter-chase took place when the workers tried to block road at Mirpur sections 13 and 14 but were resisted by police.
At one stage, police charged batons on the workers to disperse them that triggered clashes, leaving 20 people injured.
Road communication was restored after the law enforcers bring the situation under control at about 12:00 pm.
Earlier on Thursday, the ready-made garment workers vandalised at least eight garment factories in Mirpur area and clashed with police, demanding minimum monthly salary of Tk 5,000 and increase of their attendance allowance.
The workers are now getting minimum monthly salary of Tk 1,662.50 only
20 hurt as RMG workers clash with police in Mirpur
thedailystar.net
Friday, April 30, 2010
Vehicular movement came to a halt in the capital’s Mirpur area for about two hours on Friday following sporadic clashes between law enforcers and garments workers that left at least 20 people injured.
The workers continued clashes for the fourth consecutive day on Friday, a day after MP of Mirpur area Kamal Ahmed Mazumdar assured them of talking to their owners under his constituency about their demands.
Local sources said several hundred of workers of different garment factories started demonstration in Mirpur at about 9:00am, demanding hike in pay.
Chase and counter-chase took place when the workers tried to block road at Mirpur sections 13 and 14 and were resisted by police.
At one stage, police charged batons on the workers to disperse them that triggered clashes, leaving 20 people injured.
Road communication was restored on the road after the law enforcers bring the situation under control at about 12:00pm.
Earlier on Thursday, the ready-made garments workers vandalised at least eight garment factories in Mirpur area and clashed with police for the third day demanding minimum monthly salary of Tk 5,000 and increase of their attendance allowance.
The workers are now getting minimum monthly salary of Tk 1,662.50 only.
Garment workers protest over wages
straitstimes.com
Apr 30, 2010
DHAKA – MORE than 10,000 Bangladeshi garment workers attacked factories with stones and blocked streets on Friday in the capital Dhaka to demand higher minimum wages, police said.
The workers went on the rampage in the city’s northern Mirpur area, where there are a large number of garment factories and workshops, local police officer Arshadul Huq told AFP.
The protest came despite a promise on Wednesday by Labour and Manpower Minister Mosharraf Hossain to give the workers a ‘substantial (wage) increase’ within three months. Mr Hossain said a new wage board had been set up to propose new basic pay levels for the country’s 2.5 million garment workers.
‘We are protesting because we don’t have any faith in the government to implement its promises,’ Mr Mosherefa Mishu, head of the Garment Workers Unity Forum, one of the country’s leading garment unions.
Bangladesh is one of the world’s cheapest manufacturing sites with a minimum wage of around 1,700 taka – about US$25 (S$34) – per month. This rate was put in place after a string of deadly protests in 2006 killed dozens and saw hundreds of factories vandalised or torched. Mr Mishu said the 2006 minimum wage was still not enforced in some factories, and she suspected the actual increase agreed on by government and manufacturers might be far smaller than that promised.
Garments accounted for nearly 80 per cent of Bangladesh’s US$15.56 billion of exports last year. The country’s 4,500 factories employ around 40 per cent of the industrial workforce, most of them women. Major western retailers including Wal-Mart, H & M, French giant Carrefour and Levi Strauss in January wrote to the prime minister requesting across-the-board wage increases. Current wages are ‘below the poverty line’ and have ‘contributed to unrest’ among workers, the letter said. — AFP
Mirpur RMG unrest: Production halted again
thedailystar.net
Thursday, April 29, 2010
The ready-made garment workers and police on Thursday for the third consecutive day engaged in sporadic clashes in the capital’s Mirpur area, a day after the government assured that a new pay scale would be introduced for them in three months.
Five people were injured as police charged batons on the agitating workers during the chase and counter-chase that turned the Mirpur 13 and 14 sectors into a battlefield.
The workers also vandalised the glasses of eight to ten factories, prompting the authorities to shut down their production.
The demonstration programme that started at about 10:00am, was withdrawn at about 1:00pm after getting an assurance from local MP Kamal Ahmed Majumder that he would hold a meeting with the garments owners and workers at Hazi Ali field in section 13 at 4:00pm to settle the on going crisis.
Sources said the clash erupted when 500 to 600 garment workers from 8/10 garments units, including Tunic Fashion Limited, Palka Dots Fashion Ltd, Natural Wool Wear Ltd, SRT Fashion Ltd, Jokky Garments Ltd, tried to block the street near Police Staff College at about 10:00am.
On information, police rushed to the spot and asked the workers to leave the scene but the protesters refused to carry out their order.
At one stage, the angry workers hurled brick chips on police, prompting them to charge batons in a bid to disperse them, leaving at least five injured.
The production of over 20 garment factories of the area remained suspended from Tuesday afternoon as the workers demonstrated to press home their demands, including increase minimum monthly wage from Tk 1,662 to Tk 5,000.
The workers also want a hike in their attendance bonus from Tk 300 to Tk 400.
Officer-in-charge of Kafrul Police Station Delwar Hossain told The Daily Star that some unruly workers of different garment factories hurled brick chips on police without any provocation.
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