Garment factory at Uttara attacked: 30 injured
By Staff Reporter
A Korean-owned garment factory at Uttara came under attack of a section of unruly elements at 11 AM yesterday leaving over 30 people injured
But the trade union leaders held the management of the factory responsible for the attack alleging that the management of the factory engaged armed hoodlums to let loose a reign of terror in the factory premises to foil the workers what the union leaders said just movement of the workers. The union leaders also said that all the workers injured in the attack were workers of the factory.
Seriously injured Sabuj, Liton, Asad, Wasim, Jalal and Minar were rushed to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) and Uttara IC Mother and Child Hospital.
Besides, garment workers Rezaul, Masud, Zakirul, Jashim, Mizan and some nine others were admitted to local clinics.
The agitated workers of the factory said that the musclemen engaged by the management attacked the workers when they were demonstrating to press home their 22-point demand.
The troubles erupted as the workers of unit-1 of the Haesong Corporation at Shah Kabir Mazar road in Dakkhin Khan in Uttara, were staging demonstration to press home their demands, including suspension of the General Manager (GM) Kamruzzaman, Production Manager (PM) Abdul Khaleq, supervisor Asad and three others, for harassing the workers physically and financially.
There are 2200 workers in unit-1 of the Haesong Corporation in Uttara.
Although three platoons of police, along with RAB, were deployed in and around the factory, the workers were demonstrating till 2-30 pm.
A tense situation has been prevailing till the filing of the report at around 3:30 pm.
Stakeholders of readymade garments (RMG) at a dialogue Wednesday called for speedy implementation of the tripartite agreement signed on June 4 to resolve the current labour unrest in the sector.
They also demanded formation of a tripartite watchdog cell to monitor the compliances in the RMG sector.
Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) organised the discussion titled “Recent volatility in readymade garments sector: Where’s the solution” at the CIRDAP auditorium in Dhaka.
Commerce Minister Hafiz Uddin Ahmad, State Minister for Labour Amannulh Aman, Awami League lawmaker Faruk Khan, its leader Akhteruzaman, business association leaders Mir Nasir Hossain, Mahbubur Rahman, MA Momen, Naser Rahman, garment and knitwear owner Redwan Ahamed, MP, BGMEA leaders Tipu Munshi and Annisul Huq, BKMEA leader Fuzlul Houqe, and workers’ representatives Dr Wazedul Islam Khan, Shahajan Khan, MP, Safiq Ahmed Mojumder and Sirin Akhter, and Sramik Nirapatta Forum Hamida Hossain and other workers leaders in garments sector spoke at the dialogue.
The labour leaders demanded declaration of 30 percent interim dearness allowance for garment workers with immediate effect to resolve ongoing labour unrest.
Hafiz Uddin Ahmed acknowledged that the salary of the garment workers should be increased and said peaceful collective bargaining is only way to resolve the current crisis.
He said RMG owners must allow running trade union in every factory for the interest of both owners and labourers.
The commerce minister hoped that if Bangladesh Export Processing Zone Authority (BEPZA) implements its exiting laws, the problems of DEPZ would be solved.
Amanullah Aman said that they are going to start implementation of tripartite agreement very soon.
He said they can start the minimum wage board work from Thursday if they get the labour representative on the basis of consensus.
BGMEA president Tipu Munshi, however, said, “We can not resolve the problem if a good labour-owner relationship is not maintained.”
A tripartite meeting between the government, readymade garments owners and workers June 4 agreed to declare minimum wages within three months after formation of the minimum wage board with adoption of 10-point new agreements.
Others issues of tripartite agreement include issuing appointment letters and identity cards for all the workers, weekly holiday (any day), maternity leave, right to practice trade union and female workers at night shift would implement within a month.
Meanwhile, production in all the garments factories in the EPZ may resume today.
© Copyright 2003 by The New Nation
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