At least 10 employees of an RMG factory and five policemen have been injured in a clash in Gazipur.
The clash erupted after the workers of Tivoli Apparels Ltd in the Tongi area started a demonstration at around 8am on Tuesday over a notice regarding the shutting down of the factory.
Police fired at least 10 rounds of sound grenades, 30 rounds of shotgun shells and six rounds of tear gas to disperse the workers, said Gazipur Metropolitan Police (GMP) Deputy Commissioner Mohammad.
The demonstration lasted for two hours till 10am, he said.
The injured workers are Shahinur Akhter, 18, Nur Mohammad, 25, Taslima, 26, Zia, 25, Monirul, 24, Safina Akhter, 18, Mukti Akhter, 32, and Kamal, 23. They were admitted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital and Tongi Shaheed Ahsanullah Master General Hospital.
According to factory workers, Lutfar Rahman, production manager of the factory, humiliated Ripa Akhter, assistant operator of the finishing section, on Saturday (January 29th).
When the news of the humiliation spread among the others, the workers went on strike on the same day and presented a 12-point demand to the owner of the factory.
Later, the authorities announced the closure of the factory indefinitely from Tuesday morning, after the workers went home without joining work.
Agitated by the notice, the workers gathered in a demonstration in front of the Radisson Garments factory next door.
When the police arrived, they started throwing brickbats at them. At this point, the police released tear gas shells to disperse the workers, the Deputy Commissioner.
The workers again joined forces at RBSR Fashion Ltd, Sumi Apparels Ltd, Patriot Eco Ltd and BSIC Fakir Market, launching a three-pronged attack on the police and vandalizing the factories by hurling brickbats, he said.
The authorities of RBSR Fashion Limited, Sumi Apparels Limited and Radisson Apparels Limited later shut down the factories due to the unrest, he added.
Mosharraf Hossain, owner of Tivoli Apparels Ltd, said the production manager had been removed on the day of the incident for alleged misconduct with the workers. But the workers had been making unreasonable demands since then that went against the labor law.
"We have accepted that the workers have demanded the removal of the production manager," he added. But some outsider labor leaders have created instability by inciting ordinary workers. So the factory has been shut down until the matter is resolved.
“Some outsider labor leaders have created instability by inciting the workers. Thus, the factory will remain shut until the matter is resolved,” he said.
Additional police forces have been deployed in the area to maintain law and order.