20 hurt as garment workers clash with police in Dhaka

DHAKA - Twenty people were hurt Wednesday morning as industrial violence erupted at a factory here which was closed for five days after an official slapped a woman employee for faulty work.

Police charged with batons on the workers, lobbed teargas shells and also used a water cannon to disperse them.

The workers pelted brick chips on the policemen, leaving some of them injured, Star Online website of The Daily Star reported.

Three factories of the Outright Group in the national capital remained closed for the fifth consecutive day Wednesday following the labour unrest over non-payment of annual increment on time.

Delwar Hossain, officer-in-charge of Kafrul police station, said the workers of three factories of Outright Group started demonstration in front of the manufacturing units to press for their 14-point demand.

Over 200 garment factories were closed for two days last week following clashes between the police and the workers pressing for minimum wage of Taka 5,000 ($86) per month. They were reopened after assurance of security by the government.

Industrial violence is a recurring phenomenon in Bangladesh’s readymade garments and knitwear sector that earns the highest foreign exchange for the country. It netted $123 billion last year.

However, working conditions are poor, leading to frequent accidents.

A global report by the Vienna-based International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) recently dubbed Bangladeshi workers as “the world’s most poorly paid” and said the violation of their rights has been on the increase.