Garment workers strike today
By Staff Reporter
The New Nation, Bangladesh
Garments workers will observe today a daylong strike enforced by the Garments Sramik Sangram Parishad, an alliance of several garment workers associations, across the country demanding immediate cancellation of the recent recommendation of minimum salary of Tk 1, 662 by the Wage Board and payment salary with bonus before Eid.
Leaders of the Bangladesh Sanjukta Sramik Federation, another platform of garment workers in a meeting held at Muktangon in the city yesterday demanded the immediate implementation of the accord signed with the Sramik Karmachari Oikya Parishad(SKOP), a grand alliance of labourers and employees .
They also urged the government to re-fix a reasonable salary for the garment workers.
Later, they submitted a memorandum to the Director of Labour Directorate to press home their 10-point demand including arrest of Muklesor Rahman and Mokaddem Hossain, former President and Secretary respectively of Bangladesh Sanjukta Sramik Federation for their involvement in corruption.
Presided over by its Central President Tofazzal Hussein, Central Vice-President Harun-or-Rashid Bhuyian, Sultan Hussein Mollik, General Secretary Jahangir Alam Chowdhury, Joint Secretary Mohammad Hussein Foko, Organising Secretary Kazi Rezaul Karim Hitlu, Treasurer Asraful Islam and Rozi Begum, among others, addressed the meeting.
Meanwhile, some workers of Rabin Tex and Rabin Apparels of Narayanganj beat the factory Manager Idris Ali when the owner refused to pay their arrears and bonus. The agitated workers also broke doors and windows of garments and later blocked the Dhaka-Sylhet highway in Bhulta under Rupganj upazila of the district at 1pm yesterday and vandalised several vehicles during the blockade programme, said police and witness.
Additional police have been deployed to avert any untoward incident. Till writing of this report a tense situation was prevailing in the area.
© Copyright 2003 by The New Nation
