Five RMG leaders arrested as wage protests turn violent over Tk30,000 demand

Police arrested at least five union leaders and workers as garment workers' protests over a 30,000 taka minimum monthly wage turned violent in Dhaka and Gazipur on Sunday.

Gazi Jasim Uddin, chief of the Industrial Police, said the detentions had taken place either on Saturday night or the previous night, but he had not received reports of further arrests during Sunday.

“They were not arrested because they were union leaders. They were arrested because they were inciting workers in various ways by posting on Facebook,” he said.

The arrests came amid widespread protests on Sunday, as hundreds of thousands of garment workers took to the streets demanding a minimum monthly wage of 30,000 taka, triggering clashes with police in Gazipur and Mirpur in the capital.

Jasim estimated that around 250,000 to 300,000 workers had taken to the streets across Gazipur and Ashulia alone on Sunday, based on the police's figures.

Amjad Hossain, superintendent of Gazipur Industrial Police, confirmed that arrests had been made, involving both labour leaders and workers. 

A Gazipur Metropolitan Police official, contacted separately in the morning, said, “Arrests are inevitable. There is a riot going on here.”

Shahadat Hossain, Gazipur district president of the Ganatantrik Garment Sramik Federation, said five labour leaders had been arrested. He named Rujina Akter Sumi, Kawsar Mia, Ali Asgar, Mostofa Kamal and Asadul Islam Masud among those detained.

“They are targeting and arresting workers and labour leaders,” he said, alleging a crackdown on organisers of the protests.

Shahadat said Sumi, Kawsar Mia and Ali Asgar were arrested from Uttara on Saturday night and taken to the Detective Branch office in Gazipur.

Sumi was arrested after she, in a Facebook post, had condemned the reported detention of Masud, general secretary of the Bangladesh Garment Workers Federation, and called for his immediate release.

Shahadat said his organisation condemned violence and had postponed its activities following the government's decision to form a wage board.

Babul Akhter, general secretary of the Bangladesh Garment and Industrial Workers Federation and one of the workers' representatives on the board, said workers should return to their factories now that the process had begun.

“The wage board has been announced. General workers should return to work,” he said.

He also called for the release of detained labour leaders if there were no specific allegations against them.

“If there are no specific allegations, they should be released without unnecessary delay,” he said.

Kalpona Akter, executive director of the Bangladesh Center for Workers Solidarity, urged workers and the authorities to exercise patience.

She said the formation of the board should open the way for negotiations over a revised minimum wage. Workers also needed clearer information about the process, she said.

“The wage board will be formed, discussions will take place, and then a new wage will be announced. There needs to be some patience from both sides,” she said.