Wage disputes: RMG workers block roads in Savar, Gazipur
Alleged discrepancies between pay slips and actual salaries led to unrest
Workers of nine readymade garment factories in Savar and Gazipur staged demonstrations blocking roads on Thursday (11 January) over wage disputes.
At least six factories within the Dhaka Export Processing Zone (DEPZ) saw unrest yesterday. They are Gunze United Limited, Bengal Windsor Thermoplastic Limited, Tigerco Limited, Croydon Kowloon Designs Ltd (CKDL), Shanta Denims Limited, and YKK Bangladesh Pte Limited.
Factory owners alleged damage to property, including vandalised vehicles, in at least three of these cases.
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"The incident started at Shanta Denims Limited," Mohammad Sarwar Alam, superintendent of police for the Ashulia Industrial Zone, told The Business Standard. "Workers from this factory prevented employees at other factories from working."
SM Aftab Uddin, manager of Gunze United Limited, told TBS, "In addition to the vandalism in our factory, three vehicles were damaged. However, our factory workers were not involved in the attack. Workers from other factories launched the attack."
Beyond DEPZ, protests and roadblocks disrupted operations at three factories including Crown Exclusive Wears Limited and Crown Wool Wear Limited in the Mawna industrial area of Gazipur.
Md Emran Ahmed, an assistant superintendent of police, said the workers' frustration stemmed from alleged discrepancies between their pay slips and the actual salaries received.
"They blocked the road from 9:20am to 11:30am demanding payment of salary as per pay slip. Later, the police negotiated with them and brought the situation under control."
It is alleged that the new wage structure has disproportionately impacted senior workers, leading to stagnant salaries despite grade changes, Emran Ahmed said. "This has fuelled unrest in multiple factories recently."
Md Towhidur Rahman, a former secretary general of IndustriALL Bangladesh Council, echoed these concerns, while talking to TBS.
"Several factories are refusing to acknowledge the Grade-A wages stipulated in the new structure, causing widespread dissatisfaction among workers," he said. "Failure to address this promptly could trigger further unrest in the coming days," he warned.
