July 1, 2020

Garment Workers rally in Dhaka

Hundreds of garment workers rallied in Dhaka to continue their protest for missing wages. They used to work for Dragon Sweater and are organized with the Garment Workers Trade Union Center (GWTUC).

The GWTUC writes:

On 28^th June, 2020, Garment Workers’ Trade Union Centre (GWTUC) held a rally to lay siege to the Prime Minister’s Office protesting against the continued lay-offs, persecution and preventable deaths of workers. The speakers at the demonstration spoke at length about how on the one hand thousands of working people were getting infected and dying due to the COVID 19 pandemic and, on the other, countless workers were being laid-off, persecuted and harassed on trumped up charges when they protested against unpaid wages. As the rally started from the National Press Club in Dhaka, demonstrating workers were met with heavy-handed police action. The police attempted to stop the peaceful rally at two points and did not let it go past Shahbag intersection. Faced with police harassment, the demonstrators blockaded the intersection and speakers decried the harsh police action.

The GWTUC calls for an immediate end to job cuts, unpaid wages and persecution of workers. The government cannot continue to devalue workers’ lives in this time of worldwide pandemic. We warn that unless workers’ demands are met the government and business owners will face the full wrath of an invigorated workers’ movement.