RMG workers, Awami League activists and police clash at Mirpur

Clashes broke out between protesting RMG workers, Awami League activisits and police in Dhaka's Mirpur area since the morning.

Hundreds of RMG workers of Epyllion Group took to the street in Mirpur since 10am in demand of clearing their dues alongside increasing their minimum wage.

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Dhaka Metropolitan Police Pallabi zone additional deputy commissioner Nazmul Hasan Feroz said, RMG workers took to the streets in the morning. However, a clash ensued when Awami League activists brought out a rally in protest of the BNP and allies' blockade.

Later, the police also intervened to control the situation. The workers are now on the streets, the local MP is coming to address the issue.

The police official also said 15 buses, 2 markets, a bank branch and 2 garment factories have been vandalised so far in a three-way clash between garment workers, Awami League activists and the police in Mirpur.

Meanwhile, the workers claimed that three people have died in the clashes.

Shahidul Islam, commissioner of Pallabi zone, refuted the rumours of workers' deaths in Mirpur. 

"A few workers sustained minor injuries during the clash, but there have been no fatalities among the workers," Shahidul Islam told The Business Standard.

A chase and counter chase took place between police and the workers at Milk Vita intersection in Pallabi at 4pm.

The workers blocked the main road under the Mirpur 11 metro rail station around 5:30pm, protesting the alleged attacks on them. 

The majority of the workers injured during the clash with outsiders at the Epyllion factory have received medical treatment at the Islami Bank Central Hospital in Mirpur. 

"We have treated 20 of the injured people here. There have been no fatalities," Dr Md Manzur Hossain from the hospital told TBS.

Delays in fixing wages could be ominous for the industry: Workers' body

The wage board's delay in setting the minimum wage for garment workers has led to severe unrest among the workers, Bangladesh Garments Sramik Oikya Parishad said today.

In a joint statement, the workers' body said tensions are escalating as law enforcement authorities resort to force to manage the ongoing labour unrest. 

"Repression should not be the response, and it is essential to play a strategic role in addressing the concerns of these unarmed workers and alleviating their discontent," reads the statement.