Workers claim 10 injured as protest turns into clash with police in Ashulia

Protesting workers claimed that at least 10 garment workers were injured in a clash with police in the Zirabo Pukurpar area of Ashulia, an industrial hub on the outskirts of Dhaka, this morning.

The clash took place around 9:30am when 140 suspended workers of Lusaka Group went to the area demanding reinstatement.

Tap here to add The Daily Star as a trusted source

The workers alleged that police beat them and fired tear gas to disperse them. Police, however, said the workers blocked roads, prevented other workers from entering nearby factories and threw bricks and stones at factories, prompting them to use tear gas to bring the situation under control.

Farhad, a suspended worker of Lusaka Group, told The Daily Star that female workers had allegedly been harassed by the factory's production manager, Mehedi Hossain, for a long time.

“We had been demanding his dismissal on several occasions. On August 4, the factory authorities told us in the morning that the production manager had been dismissed and would no longer come to the factory. But he returned in the afternoon. We protested his presence,” he said.

“The factory was closed on August 5. When we went to the factory on August 6, we learnt that 58 workers of Back Knit Ltd and 82 workers of Tammam Design Ltd -- both concerns of Lusaka Group and located in the same building -- had been suspended,” Farhad said.

Since then, the suspended workers had been trying to resolve the issue through the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) and the Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments (DIFE), he said.

A meeting between the factory authorities and workers was scheduled at the DIFE on August 18, but the factory authorities later informed them that they would not attend, Farhad said.

“Today, around 8:00am, we went to the factory and formed a human chain by the roadside demanding our reinstatement. Our colleagues also expressed solidarity with us by refusing to join work,” he said.

“Police did not listen to us. They beat us and fired tear gas, forcing us to leave the area. At least 10 female workers were injured in police attack. We took the injured workers to different hospitals for primary treatment and then returned home,” he added.

Faridul Islam, president of the central committee of National Garments Workers Unity, told The Daily Star that the factory authorities had used police to attack the workers' peaceful programme instead of resolving their grievances.

“This is an injustice to the workers. We condemn it,” he said.

Maj (retd) Moniruzzaman, general manager of HR and Compliance of Lusaka Group, told The Daily Star that some “miscreant workers” had created unrest at the factory on August 4.

“Following the incident, we closed the factory under Section 13(1). After the factory reopened, they came in front of the factory and tried to create disorder. Police were there. This is a legal process, but the workers want an instant solution,” he said.

He said DIFE had sent a letter to them and a meeting would be held at the DIFE office on Monday to resolve the issue.

Asked about the workers' allegation that Production Manager Mehedi had harassed female workers, Moniruzzaman said, “No such complaint has ever been officially lodged with us. Perhaps they are trying to take advantage of the incident.”

Mohammad Mominul Islam Bhuiyan, superintendent of Ashulia Industrial Police-1, told The Daily Star that the suspended workers of Lusaka Group gathered in front of the factory around 8:00am today.

“Police initially tried to persuade them to leave, but they threw bricks and stones at police. We had to fire tear gas to bring the situation under control,” he said.

Workers from some nearby factories had also come out, but police managed to persuade them to return to their workplaces. The situation in the area is now normal,” the SP added.