Bangladesh News

Several thousand garment workers protesting closure of a factory without notice barricaded the busy Rokeya Sarani in the city yesterday, leading to severe traffic congestion on other streets in Mirpur area for almost the whole day.

Workers from around 20 factories staged the demonstration after the authorities closed the factory of SQ Sweaters Ltd in Mirpur following a two-day strike by the factory workers enraged at the death of one of their co-workers.

Severe traffic jam choked the streets, especially during the morning rush hours, as the workers occupied Rokeya Sarani at Sheorapara from 8:30am to 6:00pm.

The angry workers of SQ Sweaters alleged that the authorities forced a worker named Salma to work at night shift on December 30, 2007, although she was ill. As her condition deteriorated, she was taken home at around 3:00am and she died an hour later.

A post mortem was carried on her at Dhaka Medical College morgue, but suspiciously, the management did not show them the report.

As the news of Salma’s death spread among her colleagues, they abstained from work on Monday and Tuesday, and when they came to factory yesterday morning, they found the factory closed and a notice of closure hanging at the entrance, the workers said.

Signed by Captain (Retd) Sheikh Arif Ahmed, manager of the factory, the notice reads the factory management has announced the factory closed under Bangladesh Labour Law-2006 as the workers observed strike ‘illegally’ on December 31, 2007 and January 1, 2008, keeping the factory officials hostages and disrupting production.

“We came to the factory at 8:00 this morning and found the gate locked. Finding no other way, we took to the street,” Shahidul Islam, an operator, said.

By 8:30am, several thousand workers gathered on the SQ Sweaters Ltd factory premises and went to other factories in the area chanting slogans.

As workers from other factories started joining the demonstrators in large numbers, the authorities were forced to shut down their factories.

The workers warned to continue their demonstration on the street until their demands of trial of the ‘killers’ of Salma and compensation to her family are met.

Several hundred vehicles got stranded on both sides of the road stretching from Mirpur-10 to Agargaon causing untold sufferings to the commuters as the workers staged demonstration on the road till 6:00pm.

Informed, Police rushed to the spot and tried to convince the workers to clear the road, but the aggrieved workers did not pay heed.

Officials of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) tried to sit with the labour leaders to resolve the crisis, but the workers did not respond to their initiative, Joint Secretary of Labour Department of BGMEA Rafiqul Islam said.

“‘Outsiders’ might be involved in instigating the workers for continuing the movement,” he added.

Talking to The Daily Star, garment labour leader Nazma Akter said although the leaders tried to resolve the deadlock, the workers remained firm in their demand.

Different organisations working for the protection of the rights of garment workers yesterday demanded immediate trial of Salma’s ‘killers’ after a thorough investigation, providing compensation to her family, and reopening of the factory immediately.

The organisations include Bangladesh Garments Workers Mukti Andolon, Textile Garments Workers Federation, Garments Workers Unity Forum, Biplobi Nari Sanghati, Ganosanghati Andolan and Bangladesh Jatiya Mahila Ainjibi Samity.

SQ FACTORY’S STATEMENT
In a statement, the authorities of SQ Sweaters Ltd claimed that Salma was absent from work on December 30.

She died at her home at around 4:00am on December 31 and on that day, a group of workers brought her body in front of the factory. After her post-mortem in assistance with Mirpur police, the body was sent to her village home in Pabna with her brother Mohammad Rafiq.

To mourn Salma’s death, the authorities had announced leave for the workers for rest of that day.

But the workers of day shift did not leave the factory despite the announcement and even kept the management hostage. Later, the workers of night shift entered the factory forcibly. They, however, left the factory at around 10:00pm, the statement said.

On January 1, the workers came to factory at 8:00am and remained absent from work

‘illegally,’ and kept the factory officials hostage. They filed a general diary with Kafrul Police Station as the illegal strike was disrupting production and hampering law and order, it said.

Under the circumstances, the authorities have announced the factory closed.