SAVAR: More than 100 people, including 10 cops, were injured in running battles between garment workers and law-enforcers in Ashulia industrial belt Saturday, as a standoff over a recommended pay hike took a turn for a new crisis in the export industry.

Hordes of workers ran riot vandalising about 50 garment factories--and at least 150 were shut down following the fierce fighting, police and owners said.

Director of Nasa AG Super Garments Ltd. Mosaddek Ali told banglanews24.com.bd, “The angry workers vandalised some factories on demand for wage hike, which compelled us to close down the factories.”

According to witnesses, the workers of Nasa Group started demonstration at their factory about 9 am demanding a minimum wage of Tk 5,000.

Hundreds of workers from other nearby factories then joined forces with them on the common demand and blocked the busy Dhaka-Tangail highway, resulting in the conflict with police, banglanews24.com.bd correspondent Zahidur Rahman reports.

Workers from Ha-Meem and Sharmin Group factories are among the demonstrators who staged the rowdy demo during which at least 12 vehicles were also damaged. Traffic on the route had halted for four hours during the dust-up.

Police fired teargas shells and rubber bullets to disperse the belligerent workers. The clash ensued when the garment workers retaliated by pelting the cops with brickbats, leaving over 100 injured, including 10 policemen.

Officer-in–charge of Ashulia police station Sirajul Islam said, “Police fired teargas shells and rubber bullets to control the unruly workers.”

The OC of Ashulia police station, Sirajul Islam, and SI Shahin Shah Parvez are among those injured.

Among them, critically injured subedar Shajahan was admitted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital, the sources said. Bullet-wounded Khairul Alam Sabuj was also rushed to Dhaka Medical College Hospital.

Police detained two workers named Mohammad Ratan and Abul Momen from the spot.

As the troubles died down, the disrupted traffic on the Dhaka-Tangail highway resumed after 2 pm as police and RAB kept patrolling the streets of Ashulia.

OC Sirajul Islam said, “The situation is now under control.”

President of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) Salam Murshedi said, “Only the government can fix the wage and we can’t do all the things as we wish.”

Murshedi also said he would meet the Finance Minister later in the day (Saturday) to find a solution to the problem.

BDST: 03:00 Hrs, June 19, 2010
Jahidur/BK/MS/AK/SMS/MUA