RMG workers blockade roads for wage hike

FE Team | Published: May 28, 2013 00:00:00 | Updated: February 01, 2018 00:00:00

RMG workers, demanding wage hike, staged demonstration by blocking the busy Rokeya Saroni at Shewrapara, Mirpur in the city Monday. — FE Photo

FE Report Ready-made garment (RMG) workers took to the city streets of Kalabagan and Mirpur's Shewrapara on Monday and blockaded roads for hours demanding attendance incentive and hike in their wages and in protest against relocation of a unit. Nearly 300 workers of Basundhara Garment Limited blocked roads at Kalabagan for nearly three hours from 11am protesting the shifting of the unit to a new location. "Several hundred agitating workers of Misami Bitopi Garments took to Begum Rokeya Sarani at Purba Shewrapara demanding attendance incentive and hike in their wages at around 9:30 am," said Kafrul Police Station officer-in-charge Kazi Wazed Ali. A section of workers of Misami Bitopi Garments alleged that the factory owner refused to pay attendance incentive to those who work as sewing machine helpers and iron-men. They claimed that sewing machine operators and workers of quality and cutting sections have been enjoying Tk 500 as attendance incentive a month. They also demanded Tk 600 as tiffin fees. The authorities have cancelled operation for Monday. The traffic movement on the roads came to a halt for around three hours following the protest. Hundreds of vehicles were seen stuck up in long queues that stretched several kilometres. On information, additional police and members of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) rushed to the scene and pursued the agitating workers to free the road, the OC said. The protest in Basundhara Garment Limited started when the workers of the factory saw a notice saying that the unit would be shifted to Hemayetpur in Savar on the outskirts of the capital on June 20. Fearing losing their job, the agitating workers took to the street from 11am. "They are protesting against shifting of factory from Kalabagan," Kalabagan Police Station officer-in-charge Enamul Haque told The Financial Express (FE). The workers alleged that the authorities hung the notice only 24 days before its shifting. They also claimed that according to the rules, the authorities of a factory will have to inform the staff at least three months before its shifting. However, it was not yet clear why the factory was being relocated.