Garment workers stage demonstration in Ctg; army, police deployed
Chattogram Bureau
Several hundred of workers of a garment factory on Sunday staged demonstrations to press home their 5-point demand including an increase in wages in Karnaphuli upazila of Chattogram district.The workers of ‘Golden Son Ltd’ in Khwajnagar area of the upazila began the demonstrations chanting slogans and carrying banners and festoons around 11:30 am.Their other demands are full payment within the scheduled time, scrapping of the two-installment wage system, payment of salaries between the 1 to 10 of each month, and compensation equivalent to three months and 13 days’ salary in accordance with government rules if any worker is terminated.Officer-in-Charge of Karnaphuli police station Md Sharif said they along with army members were trying to bring the situation under control.The factory’s Human Resources Officer Md Noman and other officials declined to comment.However, a company spokesperson on condition of anonymity said, "We are now in a meeting to address the matter and hope to resolve it soon."Chattogram Industrial Police Superintendent Mohammad Sulaiman said they spoke to workers while the factory management assured of paying dues.As of filing this report till 1:15pm, workers were staging demonstrations at the factory.According to Industrial Police, 50 factories in Chattogram have been shut over the past seven months since August 5 last year.Among them are 18 BGMEA-affiliated factories, two under BKMEA, one a BTMA member, nine in BEPZA, and 22 others.Two factories were shut permanently.
