Garment workers protested by blocking the road demanding unpaid wages in Savar. Meanwhile, the protesting workers blockaded the road by throwing trees and vandalized the factory. Later, the authorities declared a holiday in the factory along with security.
The incident of vandalism and protest took place at the garment factory owned by actor Ananta Jalil, located on the Hemayetpur-Singair link road in Savar, yesterday afternoon.
The protesting workers said that every month the authorities fail to pay our salaries. We have also protested for this reason before. We were supposed to pay our last month's salary on November 10 but the owner did not keep their word. Because of this, the workers entered the factory and started a strike. At one stage, the protesting workers blocked the Hemayetpur-Singair road and started protesting. After being blocked for about two hours, when the law and order force members persuaded the workers to remove them from the road to normalize the situation, the agitated workers pelted bricks and stones and vandalized the factory. Later, when the authorities declared the factory a holiday, the workers went home.
Ali Akbar, General Secretary of Savar Thana Committee of Bangladesh Garments and Industrial Workers Federation, said that the workers blocked the road since morning to demand the arrears of salaries for the month of October. In Ananta Jalil's factory, the monthly salary is paid regularly, but their old practice is that the owner takes the previous month's salary on the 12th-15th instead of the 5th-7th of the next month. However, AJI Group Managing Director Ananta Jalil claims that we do not have any monthly salary left. Salary for the month of October announced earlier will be paid today. We had an export problem. But like other people we don't have three months’ salary left. In fact, it is not a salary issue. The issue is political.
Md Amir Hossain of Savar Leather Industry City (Tannery) Outpost (SI) said, we went to the spot after receiving information about the workers' road blockade in Hemayetpur. The members of the joint forces also came to the spot after receiving the news. Later the workers were explained and removed from the road. Besides, when the authorities declare a general holiday in the factory, the workers go home.
ZH
