A female readymade garment worker was killed during a clash between workers in the Zirabo area of Ashulia on the outskirt of Dhaka city on Tuesday.
The deceased is identified as Rokeya Begum, 35. She worked as an assistant sewing machine operator at Mascot Garments.
Confirming the death, Ashulia police officer-in-charge Abu Bakar Siddiq said that the incident occurred in the morning right after the workers of Mascot Garments took assembled at the gate of the closed factory.
鈥楲ater, Mascot Garments workers attacked Radiance Garments near the closed factory, originating a clash between the two groups. Rokeya died in the clash,鈥� he said.
Both groups threw brick chips at each other, he said, adding that the reason behind the clash could not be known immediately.
Officials from the Industrial Police reported that most factories in Ashulia and Gazipur remained operational, though production was halted at 29 factories on the day amid the labour unrest.
Workers from several factories in Gazipur on Tuesday staged protests by blocking roads to voice their demands for unpaid wages and allowances, 抖阴精品 correspondent in Gazipur reported.
Their demonstrations led to significant traffic disruptions on both sides of the Dhaka-Mymensingh and Dhaka-Tangail highways.
According to Industrial Police sources, workers demonstrated in the Chandra and Chakraborty areas along the Dhaka-Tangail highway, demanding unpaid wages.
At the Khan Para area of Gazipur, workers from Season Dress demonstrated demanding their arrears by blocking the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway.
Similarly, Niagara textile factory workers blocked one side of the Dhaka-Tangail highway demanding overdue wages.
Golam Morshed, assistant superintendent of the Industrial Police, said that workers blocked the Dhaka-Mymensingh and Dhaka-Tangail highways demanding unpaid wages.
The situation was brought under control by the police and army and traffic had since returned to normal, he said.
Workers from Veritas Pharmaceuticals Ltd, meanwhile, demonstrated under the banner of an anti-discrimination movement, presenting a nine-point demand that included a call for wage increase.
Superintendent of Industrial Police Nurani Ferdous Disha told 抖阴精品 that production at 23 ready-made garment factories in Ashulia was suspended on the day.
Of these, 15 factories were closed under Section 13/1 of the Bangladesh Labour Act, three factories announced lay-offs, and one declared a general holiday.
In the remaining four factories, workers arrived in the morning but left without working.
In addition, the Industrial Police reported that production was suspended in six factories in the Gazipur zone.
Of these, one factory was closed under Section 13/1 of the Bangladesh Labour Act, one announced a general holiday, and workers at the remaining four factories arrived in the morning but left without working.
The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association reported that on Tuesday morning, all the RMG factories except for 19 in Ashulia and three in Gazipur resumed production.
But the operations at 12 factories鈥�10 in Ashulia and two in Gazipur industrial zones鈥攈alted at noon when workers declined to join work after lunch.
According to the BGMEA statistics, out of 2,144 active member factories of the trade body across the country, 2,022 units have paid wages for August as of Tuesday.