Staff Reporter :
Thousands of garment workers took to the streets in Savar and Gazipur demanding wages of the previous months.
In Savar, the workers of 11 factories took to the streets on Sunday morning demanding wages.
Hundreds of workers demonstrated in front of factories in Hemayetpur, Olail, Fulbaria, Rajason and different regions of Ashulia since morning, said police and workers’ leaders.
Later, many of them stopped their agitation after the authorities of some factories assured payment of wages within a short time, said Khairul Mamun Mintu, organising secretary of Garment Workers Trade Union Kendra.
The workers were compelled to take to the streets amid shutdown as some of them have not got their last month’s wages, which is supposed to be paid by 10th day of the month, he added.
Many workers are in dire condition, as they are not getting food assistance nor the wages, the workers’ leader said.
The workers demonstrated in front of some garment factories demanding wages, said Inspector Javed Masud of Ashulia Police Station.
“Owners of some of the small factories have gone into hiding. However, we are looking into the matter,” he said.
Superintendent of Police (SP) and ASP of Industrial Police-1 didn’t receive phone calls of our Savar correspondent. In Gazipur, desperate workers from some garment factories blocked the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway to pile pressure on owners to clear their pay.
Traffic came to a halt after the highway was blocked on Sunday. Later, the disgruntled workers left the street after owners assured their employees of paying all dues.
Gazipur is locked down and most of the factories are closed, except for a few.
Workers from Trust Knitwear Industries Ltd in Bhabanipur started protests around 9 am over the news of the authority firing the workers without paying their salary for March, said Inspector Jahangir Hossain of Gazipur Industry Police. “Police went to the scene and brought the situation under control. Later, the owners assured workers of paying their wages on Apr 16.”
They started street protests over the news of their colleagues being suspended without any salary, said Md Zobayer, a worker.
Workers from Stylist and New West Fashions Ltd in Bhogra took to the streets around 8 am, demanding their wages for March, said Md Jalaluddin, Additional Superintendent of Gazipur Industrial Police.
“At one point they blocked the Dhaka-Mymensingh Highway, but later left the streets after the owners promised to pay their wages.” Shahina Begum, a knitting operator at the New West factory, said workers have not received any salary for the last two months.
“Now we don’t have any food at home. We need to pay our house rent and buy grocery. We are about to die from starvation.” Relief sent by the government reaches only the local and Gazipur voters. Others never got it, she said.
“Migrated workers can’t send their children back to villages as all transport services are stopped. We’ll starve to death along with our children if our wages are not paid.”
More than 4,000 workers of East West Group in Gazipur have not received their salaries for March and partial salary for February, said Additional Police Superintendent Sushanta Sarkar.
The owners of East West Group never pay the full salary at a time. Tney pay it in installments, said Sumona, a worker in the factory.
“The grocer is pressing us for the money we owe to him. Nobody is willing to sell goods to us on credit. The house owner also asked us to leave after paying the house rent.”
Though the district is under lockdown, some of the factories remained open to make PPEs and masks, said Md Emdad, chief of Tongi West Police Station. They have not paid the workers either.
“They mention of social distancing and the government decision as the reason for keeping the factories running, but the real picture is totally different. Some of the factories are not paying the workers, leading to such agitation.”
Risks of contagion increase when the workers gather on the streets without maintaining social distancing, said OC Emdad. At least five factories, including Rock & Roll Apparels, Classic Fashion, Trouser Land and Joynal Knit Company under the jurisdiction of his police station remained open, he said.
