Garment Workers Unity Forum (GUWF) president Moshrefa Mishu was detained yesterday in Dhaka but later released on condition that she refrain from further protests.
Separately, Ashulia police yesterday produced top labour leaders and the acting chairman of Savar in connection to the ongoing labour unrest in Savar’s Ashuulia area.
The Ashulia industrial belt has been experiencing strikes since December 11 and owner-initiated shut downs of scores of factories since December 20.
Dhaka Metropolitan Police Detective Branch detained Moshrefa Mishu from the capital’s Topkhana Road over the ongoing Ashulia unrest on early yesterday. She was released by DB yesterday evening.
GWUF Finance Secretary Shahidul Islam Sabuj said Mishu was about to attend a press conference at Nirmal Sen Milanayatan at 11am, but was picked up around 10:45am as she arrived at the spot by rickshaw.
He said DB officials, who had already condoned off the area, put her into a DB van.
They asked me to convince other rights activists that the DB would facilitate meetings with ministers – the home minister, state minister for labour or any other minister – if we wanted, but to swear off rallies and protests
The press conference was organised to demand the withdrawal of “false cases” filed against garment workers, the reopening of factories closed under Labour Act Article 13(1) and bringing an end to the current policy of firing workers who protest injustices at factories, he said.
Law enforcers dispersed the conference attendees, threatening them with arrest, and snatched their banner from them, Shahidul said, adding that a protest rally would be held in front of the Press Club today at 11am.
A cup of tea at DB HQAdditional Commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Monirul Islam said Mishu was neither arrested nor picked up.
He claimed she had been invited to the DB office for a cup of tea to discuss a solution to the unrest in Ashulia.
“She came to the DB office by herself in response to an invitation at 1pm and DB officials were in discussion with her,” Monirul added.
Mishu claims after she was picked up, a DB inspector took her to DB Deputy Commissioner (South) Mashrukur Rahman Khaled’s office room where they interrogated her.
“They asked me not to continue any movement further as this might give militants scope to carry out new attacks. They said government high-ups told the DB to convince me to refrain from further agitation, before dropping me home.
“They asked me to convince other rights activists that the DB would facilitate meetings with ministers – the home minister, state minister for labour or any other minister – if we wanted, but to swear off rallies and protests,” Mishu said.
Mishu told the Dhaka Tribune that no matter what the police offered, garments labourers still demand the withdrawal of false cases, the reopening of factories and an increase in wages – Tk10,000 basic and Tk16,000 with gross.
Authorities of Sterling Apparels Limited hang a notice outside the factory gates stating the reason why the factory has been closed down for indefinite period NADIM HOSSAIN
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) expressed grave concern Mishu’s detention.
“We have to make sure that the rights of garment workers are not violated in the recent waves of unrest in this sector,” Farhana Sayeed, NHRC public relations officer, quoted chairman Kazi Reazul Haque as saying.
“Garment workers are expressing their discontent over various issues. The NHRC urges the authorities not to deploy force and to ensure freedom of expression and freedom of assembly,” she added.
Savar acting chairman arrestedActing chairman of Savar upazila Mini Akhter Urmi was arrested yesterday over the Ashulia RMG factory unrest.
Dhaka District Superintendent of police Shah Mizan Shafiur Rahman said: “She (Urmi) has been produced in court.”
Mini Akhter Urmi, also a BNP leader of the upazila, was arrested from Yarpur union in Ashulia, Shah Mizan said.
Ashulia Officer-in-Charge Mohsinul Kadir said eight persons had been arrested as of yesterday.
OC (prosecution) Asaduzzaman told the Dhaka Tribune that Urmi and the other arrestees had been produced in court seeking 7-day remand sessions. The court has set the remand hearing for December 27 and sent them to jail.
OC Mohsinul said the primary investigation found that the labour leaders were “attempting to create political unrest” in the area.
On Wednesday, police said they had detained five labour leaders for allegedly provoking worker unrest. Yesterday, another three were taken into custody.
The detainees were identified as Savar upazila acting chairman Mini Akhter Urmi, Trinomul Garment Employee Federation president Shamim Khan, Savar-Ashulia-Dhamrai region Garment Workers Front president Soumitra Kumar Das, Swadhin Bangla Labourers Workers Federation (Ashulia zone committee) president Al Kamran, Bangladesh Garment Labour Federation general secretary Shakil Ahmed and president Rafiqul Islam Sujon and labour leaders Ibrahim and Mizan from the Savar-Ashulia area.
277 workers suspendedThe authorities of Windy Apparels Ltd and Fountain Garments Manufacturing Limited have suspended 157 more workers due to their alleged involvement in the Ashulia labour unrest, Ashulia Industrial Police Circle Director Mustafizur Rahman said.
Windy Apparel Ltd yesterday suspended 22 more garments workers raising the number to 142 workers. They earlier suspended 120 workers.
In the meantime 135 workers were suspended by Fountain Garments Manufacturing Limited yesterday.
The number of suspended workers stands at 277 when this report was filed.
Authorities of Sterling Apparels Limited hang a notice outside the factory gates stating the reason why the factory has been closed down for indefinite period NADIM HOSSAIN
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) expressed grave concern Mishu’s detention.
“We have to make sure that the rights of garment workers are not violated in the recent waves of unrest in this sector,” Farhana Sayeed, NHRC public relations officer, quoted chairman Kazi Reazul Haque as saying.
“Garment workers are expressing their discontent over various issues. The NHRC urges the authorities not to deploy force and to ensure freedom of expression and freedom of assembly,” she added.Savar acting chairman arrestedActing chairman of Savar upazila Mini Akhter Urmi was arrested yesterday over the Ashulia RMG factory unrest.
Dhaka District Superintendent of police Shah Mizan Shafiur Rahman said: “She (Urmi) has been produced in court.”
Mini Akhter Urmi, also a BNP leader of the upazila, was arrested from Yarpur union in Ashulia, Shah Mizan said.
Ashulia Officer-in-Charge Mohsinul Kadir said eight persons had been arrested as of yesterday.
OC (prosecution) Asaduzzaman told the Dhaka Tribune that Urmi and the other arrestees had been produced in court seeking 7-day remand sessions. The court has set the remand hearing for December 27 and sent them to jail.
OC Mohsinul said the primary investigation found that the labour leaders were “attempting to create political unrest” in the area.
On Wednesday, police said they had detained five labour leaders for allegedly provoking worker unrest. Yesterday, another three were taken into custody.
The detainees were identified as Savar upazila acting chairman Mini Akhter Urmi, Trinomul Garment Employee Federation president Shamim Khan, Savar-Ashulia-Dhamrai region Garment Workers Front president Soumitra Kumar Das, Swadhin Bangla Labourers Workers Federation (Ashulia zone committee) president Al Kamran, Bangladesh Garment Labour Federation general secretary Shakil Ahmed and president Rafiqul Islam Sujon and labour leaders Ibrahim and Mizan from the Savar-Ashulia area.277 workers suspendedThe authorities of Windy Apparels Ltd and Fountain Garments Manufacturing Limited have suspended 157 more workers due to their alleged involvement in the Ashulia labour unrest, Ashulia Industrial Police Circle Director Mustafizur Rahman said.
Windy Apparel Ltd yesterday suspended 22 more garments workers raising the number to 142 workers. They earlier suspended 120 workers.
In the meantime 135 workers were suspended by Fountain Garments Manufacturing Limited yesterday.
The number of suspended workers stands at 277 when this report was filed.