Garment workers' clash in city leaves 20 injured

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Angela Merkel

FE Report
At least 20 people, including eight policemen, were injured in violent clashes between workers of two garment factories at Tejgaon industrial area in the capital Monday.
Police said the skirmishes ensued at about 11:15am when a number of sacked workers of Padma Garment became unruly on their way back to their previous workplace from BGMEA headquarters and attacked the factory with the help of some workers of its nearby Nassa factory.
Padma workers then responded the attack by pelting brickbats and stones on the attackers causing a fresh violence that injured at least 20 people, including eight police officials.
"The agitated workers swooped on us when we went to the spot to restore order," officer-in-charge of Tejgaon industrial police station Omar Faruk told the FE, adding eight policemen were also hurt in the clashes.
Earlier, hundreds of sacked workers of Padma Garment staged a sit-in programme in front of headquarters of the country's apex apparel body to press their demand for reinstatement and payments of arrears.
BGMEA sources said a few hundred workers of Padma garment lost their jobs when the factory owners shut down its sewing unit without clearing their salaries for three months. They have been staging various movements to get arrears back.