The owners have threatened to not pay readymade garment workers salary and bonuses before the Eid if they continue unleashing unrest over minimum monthly wage.
The Bangladesh Garments Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) and Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA) sounded the warning at a joint press conference on Tuesday.
“The key export sector of the country is facing severe unrest for the last few days. Stability is needed for the sake of owners and workers,” acting BGMEA President SA Mannan Kochi said.
He added that the owners were not short of intentions to raise the monthly wage, but if the unrest lingered on, they would not be able to pay the workers before the Eid-ul-Azha.
BKMEA President Selim Osman said that they were concerned over the unrest.
“If this continues we will not be able to pay salary, bonus before the Eid,” he said.
Simmering unrest hit the country’s RMG belt in Gazipur for the 4th day on the trot on Tuesday, forcing suspension of production at some 40 factories.
At least 10 people were injured as garment workers clashed with cops in different places in the city, and Kaliakoir and Sreepur upazilas demanding that their minimum wage be fixed at Tk 8,000 and the production wages of the sweater workers be increased. Witnesses said garment workers staged demonstrations in Wireless Gate, Naojor and Rawshan Road areas in the city, Shafipur and Palli Bidyut areas in Kaliakori and Nayanpur and MC Bazar areas in Sreepur upazila.
The unruly workers went on the work abstention in the morning and took to the street. They blocked Dhaka-Gazipur road, Dhaka-Tangial and Dhaka-Mymensingh highways during the demonstrations.
They also vandalised several garment factories at Wireless Gate.
However, law enforcers were on hard line on Tuesday. Whenever the workers blocked any road, they dispersed them by charging baton on them and lobbing teargas shells.
Members of district police and industrial police were also seen patrolling the areas all day long. Following the unrest, authorities suspended production at some 40 factories in the trouble-torn areas. – UNB
