1,500 sued over vandalism during RMG protests in Ashulia
The authorities of three factories filed the cases with Ashulia police station against 1,500 unnamed people on charge of vandalizing the factories, causing financial loss, and beating and injuring factory officials.
At least 1,500 people have been sued in three separate cases filed over the vandalism of three garment factories, alongside causing financial loss and injuring factory officials, during the weeklong protests by readymade garment workers in Ashulia of Savar.
The authorities of three factories filed the cases with Ashulia police station on Sunday afternoon, confirmed Abdullahil Kafi, additional superintendent of Dhaka District Traffic Police.
According to the case statements, agitating workers launched an attack on Saiin Apparels Ltd at 11am on 31 October.
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During the attack, the protesters also physically assaulted the factory's employees.
Anisur Rahman, deputy general manager (operation) of the factory, filed a case against 400-500 people with Ashulia police station on 3 November.
On the other hand, Iqbal Hossain Tapan, manager (HR Admin) of Disang Sweater Factory, lodged a case with Ashulia police station against approximately 300-400 individuals. The charges included allegations of vandalism and physical assault on employees in the factory.
Another 500-600 unnamed people were sued on the charge of vandalising the Hamim Group's factory Next Collection in Narsinghpur area on 30 October.
Farhad Uddin, administration officer of Next Collection, filed the case.
Meanwhile, administrative officer of Next Collection, Farhad Uddin, subsequently filed another case in response to attacks on Hamim Group's factory in the Narsinghpur area, accompanied by the assault and injury of the factory's workers.
"Cases have been filed against unidentified individuals. As of now, no arrests have been made in connection with the cases. Legal action will be taken following a thorough investigation," said Additional Superintendent of Police Abdullahil Kafi.
Condemning the move, Garment Sramik Sanghati President Taslima Akhtar told The Business Standard that these cases have been filed against thousands of individuals with the intention of forcefully suppressing the ongoing movement for increasing the minimum wage of garment workers.
"The owners did not consider workers' demand for a minimum wage of Tk25,000. Workers have been protesting for the increase of minimum wage. In this situation, the owners have opted for a strategy of resorting to lawsuits as a means to suppress the movement, rather than promptly addressing the workers' demands," she said.
She also called for the withdrawal of the cases.
Sarwar Hussain, general secretary of Garments Sramik Oikya League, said, "Workers are never involved in acts of vandalism. Those responsible for the vandalism are troublemakers. We also advocate for those individuals who attacked and caused damage to these factories to be held accountable under the law."
He said the BGMEA leaders have also acknowledged in various meetings that the workers are not associated with these incidents.
Rafiqul Islam Sujan, president of the Bangladesh Garments and Industrial Workers Federation, told TBS that workers engage in organised protests and do not engage in vandalism or cause disorder.
Mentioning that no workers are linked to these acts of vandalism, he emphasised that they will call upon the government and law enforcement agencies to ensure that workers are not subjected to unwarranted harassment.
Faruque Hassan, president of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) on Wednesday (1 November) called for the immediate arrest of those involved in the ongoing unrest.
"We will not compromise. We have already provided some evidence to the NSI, the DGFI and other government agencies to take action against them," he said during a general discussion at the BGMEA Bhaban in the capital's Uttara.
The BGMEA also requested police protection to safeguard the lives of RMG sector employees and factories.
A day earlier, the IndustriALL Bangladesh Council (IBC), the Bangladesh chapter of a global alliance of 18 labour organisations, said it suspected that political parties were using the current labour movement for their benefit.
The garments sector — the jewel in Bangladesh's export crown, with exports reaching over $46.99 billion in the fiscal year 2023 — were ravaged by a week of protests in the past week.
The workers were protesting with the demand for a minimum wage of Tk23,000, despite efforts by the government, workers' leaders, and owners' associations to normalise the situation.
On 21 October, workers demanded that their minimum wage be increased from the existing Tk8,000 to Tk20,390 while the owners have proposed to increase it to Tk10,400.
On 30 October, at least two people were killed and about 40 injured in massive clashes between police and ready-made garment workers in several industrial areas in Ashulia, Savar, and Gazipur.
Following the weeklong clashes, the factory owners on 1 November agreed to pay higher minimum wages to garment workers than Tk10,400, which they proposed earlier.
