One garment worker was killed and another 50 injured after police fired rubber bullets and tear gas at around 5,000 protesting workers on the outskirts of the capital, Dhaka, 8 January 2019. The following day, police used water cannon to break up a crowd of some 10,000 striking garment workers blocking a major road in Savar, outside Dhaka. Police also raided the homes of some garment workers, vandalising their properties and even shooting them with rubber bullets, victims alleged.
Family members and co-workers identified the dead worker as Sumon Mia, 22, an employee of Anlima Textile in the Kornopara area of Savar. His colleagues claimed he was not a protester but was caught in the clash between the police and demonstrators while on his way to work. The victim’s co-workers took the body to Anlima Textile Factory and began demonstrating with Sumon’s body in the factory. The police arrived soon afterwards. They fired rubber bullets and charged with batons to disperse the protestors, leaving at least 11 workers injured, including two who sustained bullet injuries, said witnesses.
The protests began after a reported 50,000 garment workers, many making clothes for international retailers such as Zara, H&M, Tesco and Walmart, walked out of their factories demanding higher wages. Garment workers were angry that not everyone was benefiting from a recent 51 per cent government increase of the monthly minimum wage to 8,000 Taka (US$94), particularly senior workers. Protesters also said the increase was too low to cover the rising cost of living.
The unrest originated in Naraynaganj on 9 December 2018 soon after the new minimum wage took effect, and sporadic clashes between garment workers and police broke out across the Dhaka District, with reports of numerous injuries, notably in Mirpur and Gazipur.
