8 RMG units vandalised in Gazipur, Savar

The authorities of over 300 garment factories shut production of their units in Kaliakoir of Gazipur for Saturday in the face of workers’ agitation demanding a one-day leave for participating at a rally in Dhaka at noon.Sramik Oikya Parishad, a platform of 52 garment workers’ welfare union, is scheduled to hold a grand rally at Suhrawardy Uddyan in the capital at 2:00pm to press home their several demands including raising their minimum monthly salary to Tk 8,000.The road communication on the Dhaka-Tangail highway remained suspended for more than three hours till 11:30am following the agitation.At least three factories were vandalised at Kaliakoir in Gazipur and five at Jiranibazar in Savar, report our correspondents.The demonstration started in Gazipur as over 10,000 workers of different garment units in Kashimpur, Konabari and Chandra took to the highway around 8:30am, said Mosharraf Hossain, assistant superintendent of Gazipur Industrial Police.Two hours later, the demonstration spread to Savar, on the outskirts of the capital.
GAZIPUR
The workers of Divine Textile Ltd, Inter-Stop Apparel and Eye-Moon Textile first took to the highway in the morning, halting vehicular movements, said the assistant superintendent.Later, workers of other adjacent factories joined the agitators, he said adding that they vandalised three factories in Kaliakoir.Fearing more vandalism, the authorities of over 300 units shut their production for today, said Syed Shamsul Raihan, general manager (admin) of Mahmud Jeans Ltd, which was also declared closed following the agitation.The road communications however resumed when the law enforcers managed to convince them to free the highway considering peoples’ sufferings.The workers are now on way to Dhaka to attend the rally, he told our Gazipur correspondent around 11:30am.
SAVAR
The protest spread to Savar around 10:30am when the workers of Machigata Sweater Limited waged demonstration on the highway at Jiranibazar point over the same demand.During the hour-long agitation, the workers vandalised five to six factories in Kabirpur, Boraipara and Jirani areas.Later, workers of adjoining garments joined the agitating ones mounting the number to nearly 3,000 and prompting the authorities of four to five factories to shut their units for today.On information, police reached the spot and managed to free the road around 11:45am, said Farhad Hossain, a traffic inspector.