RMG workers demand wages, bonus

Garment workers in Gazipur and Narayanganj have staged demonstrations for wages and bonus.

Workers of two factories in ‘Borobarhi’ and ‘Maleker Barhi’ in Gazipur stayed away from their work and took to the streets on Sunday morning.

The workers of Parkscene factory staged a demonstration in the morning for Eid-ul-Azha bonus, said Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) SM Shamsur Rahman of the Gazipur industrial zone.

Authorities declared holiday on Sunday and promised to pay the bonus on Monday, he said.

Workers of the Tex Tech Sweater factory in ‘Chhoy Dana Maleker Barhi’ held an agitation demanding wages for the first 10 days of October.

The agitating workers smashed windowpanes of factory buildings. Police rushed to the spot and brought the situation under control, said ASP Rahman.

Meanwhile, workers of a garment factory in Naryanganj laid siege to the headquarters of the Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA), seeking the payment of their dues and the reopening of the factory.

Leaders of Bangladesher Samajtantrik Dal (BaSad) of district forum backed the demonstrators.

At a rally there, the BaSad district forum leaders said the workers had been living in inhuman conditions during the past two months due to the closure of the factory.

With Eid three days away, the workers have not got their dues yet, they said.

The BaSad leaders demanded that the BKMEA leaders pay the workers arrears immediately.

BKMEA Director GM Faruque said they were taking steps to find a solution.