Beaten for demanding dues

Garment workers were beaten up allegedly by a local union parishad member's men when they gathered in front of a factory for their dues in Savar's Ashulia yesterday.

During the attack, at least 10 workers suffered injuries.

The injured workers said they worked at Elaine Apparels Ltd in Ashulia's Charabagh area.

They had to leave their jobs due to constant pressure from the factory authorities. Four months later, despite being given many dates, they are yet to be paid their wages, they said.

Around 25 workers went to the factory gate around 10:00am, as instructed by the authorities, to take their dues, they said.

Soon, around 20 men, all loyal to local union parishad member Hossen Ali, attacked the workers with bamboo and wooden sticks and asked them vacate the factory area.

"After the attack, we tried many times to contact the factory authorities but they did not receive the phone calls," said one of the workers.

Billal Sheakh, organising secretary of Garment Sramik Sanghati (Ashulia Thana Committee), who was present during the attack, told The Daily Star that the UP member's gang attacked the workers under the direction of the factory authorities.

The workers just went to the factory to receive their wages on the day fixed by the authorities, which was yesterday, Billal said, adding that, instead of getting paid, the workers were beaten mercilessly.

"We also filed a written complaint with Dhaka Industrial Police-1 in this regard," he added.

Contacted, Hossen Ali, a member of Savar's Ashulia Union Parishad, denied the allegation of any involvement of his men in the incident.

Razon, manager (Administration) of Elain Appeals Ltd, also denied the allegation made by the workers.

"I do not know who attacked the workers. We informed them [the workers] that the dues will be paid on Tuesday as we did not go to the factory today [yesterday]," he said.

Speaking to The Daily Star, Jan-e-Alam Khan, assistant superintendent of police Dhaka Industrial Police-1, said, "It is unacceptable that outsiders will come and beat up workers. We are looking into the matter."

Meanwhile, at least 1,000 workers of four factories in Savar and Ashulia yesterday demonstrated in front of the factories, demanding their salary for the month of March, according to workers' organisations.

More than 50,000 workers of over 100 garment factories in Chattogram have also not been paid their salaries for March as yet.

Of the 100 factories, 35 are registered with the BGMEA, and 45,000 of the 50,000 workers are employed in those factories.

According to the BGMEA, Industrial Police, Chattogram EPZ and Karnafuli EPZ, more than five lakh workers are working in the 711 garment factories in Chattogram.

At least 100 garments factories have not paid the wages for March till yesterday, despite the labour ministry's order to clear the wages within April 16.

MA Salam, first vice president of the BGMEA, told The Daily Star that a few factories failed to pay salaries because most of the European and American buyers cancelled or postponed their work orders due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Most of the factories will pay the salaries within this week and some may pay at the end of this month, BGMEA officials said, adding the factories that are not members of any organisation are more likely to be late with their payment.

According to the BGMEA, among the 324 of their registered factories in Chattogram, 299 factories have paid the wages for March to their workers by yesterday.

  Bin Mesbah, general manager of KEPZ, told The Daily Star that only four factories of the KEPZ area had failed to pay their workers' salary for March until yesterday.

"We contacted the top officials of those factories and they ensured us that they will pay all salaries by April 28," he said.

Md Shahadat Hossain, deputy general manager of CEPZ, said, "We asked 13 factories to pay last month's salaries to their workers within this month. Five of those made the payments today [yesterday]. The rest ensured us that they will pay their workers by April 28."