RMG workers block Mirpur roads again over wages

Readymade garment (RMG) workers once again blocked key roads in Dhaka's Mirpur on Sunday morning, demanding a minimum monthly wage of Tk 30,000.

Hundreds of workers from different garment factories took to the streets around 9:00am, disrupting traffic on roads linking Mirpur-10, Mirpur-11 and Mirpur-14 and forcing many commuters to walk, said Mirpur Traffic Division of Dhaka Metropolitan Police.

A clash also broke out between law enforcers and workers during the blockade of the roads in Mirpur. Police fired several tear gas canisters and charged the protesters with batons, while police and workers hurled brick chips at each other.

Meanwhile, Metro rail authorities have closed three stations – Mirpur-10, Mirpur-11 and Pallabi – due to the clash. The stations were shut since the clash broke out around 12:00pm, MRT Police Inspector (Operations) Mohsin Sheikh told The Daily Star.

Five platoons of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) were deployed across Gazipur's industrial belts, including Chandra, Palli Bidyut, Shafipur, Konabari, Mouchak, Nawjor and Bhogra Bypass, amid continuing protest over wages and benefits.

Earlier on Saturday, workers staged demonstrations across Mirpur, Ashulia and Kaliakair, triggering road blockades, clashes and vandalism that forced the closure of nearly all garment factories in Mirpur and around 50 factories in Ashulia and Gazipur.

Kaliakair Police Station Officer-in-Charge Sahidul Islam said 13 people, including outsiders, were detained and 10 policemen injured in Saturday's protests. Federation leader Shafiul Alam alleged Detective Branch police raided his Gazipur home overnight.

Labour Minister Ariful Haque Choudhury said a wage board would be formed on Sunday, while BGMEA and BKMEA agreed to help clear unpaid wages.

Sources: The Daily Star