Cop beating injures 10 RMG workers in Savar

At least 10 garment workers were injured yesterday when police baton-charged several hundred workers demonstrating against termination of 12 co-workers on the factory premises in Savar, on the outskirts of the capital.
The injured workers of Zeysha Fashionwear Ltd in Hemayetpur only needed first aid.
One of the sacked workers, Nazrul Islam, said they came to know about the termination yesterday morning when the guards did not let the 12 in. The authorities did not even inform them why they were sacked, he added.
Then the sacked workers along with others gathered before the factory gate and started demonstration demanding to return at work.
Police have been deployed on the premises in early April as all the workers have been demonstrating sporadically throughout this month demanding the authorities hand over the salary by the first seven days of every month and never sack a worker without a show cause notice.
Mostafizur Rahman, administrative officer of the factory, said the 12 were sacked as they led the demonstrations, causing unrest in the factory. Mostafizur said they did not have any knowledge about the baton-charging.
Police said they were trying to disperse the group as they were discouraging other workers not to join the factory.
According to labour laws, if a regularised worker is terminated without a prior notice, the authorities will have to give them termination benefits which include the salary of three months.
The laws also state that a worker will be regarded as regularised if the authorities do not issue them any letter extending or regularising or terminating his or her probation period within the first three months.
The laws enable all the 12 workers to be regularised as they have been working for more than three months.
Kamrul Islam, general manager of the factory, said they are ready to give all the benefits mentioned in the laws.