Renewed RMG labour unrest at DEPZ
Two foreigners among 25 injured as garment workers continue agitation
Independent-Bangladesh, Bangladesh
STAFF REPORTER
Labour unrest at Dhaka Export Processing Zone (DEPZ) at Savar continued for the second consecutive day yesterday. Agitating workers of a garment factory demanding salary hike, job security, night transports for female staff, etc attacked the pro-management employees leaving at least 25 including two foreigners injured. Several rooms of the garment factory, Lemi Fashion Ltd, were also ransacked by the unruly workers.
Following the disturbance at DEPZ during the last two days’ eight garment factories were declared closed by the management
DEPZ sources said the injured persons were given first aid while personnel of the law enforcement agencies, EPZ authorities and the Savar Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) were trying to reach a solution to the problem through discussion between the workers and the factory management till the time of filing this report at around 6 pm yesterday. The workers continued agitation in pursuance of their 10-point demand.
Sources said the DEPZ authority tried to resolve the disputes between the workers and the owners but failed due to reluctance of the management to meet workers’ demands. The Softech authority declared the factory closed on Wednesday night and reopening of the factory is uncertain. A security official of the DEPZ admitted the closure of the Softech for an indefinite period while talking to this correspondent last evening.
Sources said the workers started agitation at the unit–1 of Lemi Fashion at around 10:30 am as the management refused to meet their they were disallowed by the upper-level staffers who are believed to be pro-owner of the legitimate demands. At one stage, workers of the unit –2 of the industry joined the agitating unit-1 workers and jointly went on a rampage. They beat up some officials and the production unit’s upper-level staffers and damaged the doors, tables, chairs and windowpanes.
Members of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) and police joined the EPZ’s regular security forces to tackle the unrest and brought the situation under control half an hour later.
Intelligence sources said some senior staffers of the factory killed two female workers after rape in the night about one and a half years ago but the workers could not protest for the fear of losing their job. But since the EPZ workers in general carried out agitation on some common issues for the past few days, they went on a rampage as a sequel to the past misdeeds of the upper-level staffers.
However, labour unrest also erupted at the Redpoint, another factory, in the morning as the news of the Lemi Fashion reached them. At the same time, workers staged agitation at the Kungkin Textile, YKK Zipper, Grameen Network and Johshine textile after the labour agitation broke out at the Lemi Fashion, sources said.
The Dhaka-Beijing Garments and the Honorway Textile were declared closed by the authorities last night after they faced labour disturbance on Wednesday, according to sources.
The DEPZ security officials claimed that production of the factories remained closed for hours due to the agitation. But competent sources said that the factories virtually remained closed.
The DEPZ authority took a tight-security step and did not allow the newsmen to enter inside and see what is going on at the factories. Authorities also directed the security personnel not to talk to reporters.
General Manager (GM) of the DEPZ, Kamal Akhter told this correspondent yesterday.
“There is no problem. Everything is OK.” He did not elaborate saying, “I am busy” over cell phone.
