The Bangladesh Trade Union Sangha (BTUS) has strongly condemned the killing of a worker during a demonstration at the Uttara Export Processing Zone (EPZ) in Nilphamari, demanding exemplary punishment for those responsible.
In a joint statement, BTUS President Chowdhury Ashikul Alam and General Secretary Rajat Biswas alleged that law enforcement agencies opened fire on protesting workers of Evergreen Ltd on Monday, leaving one worker, Habib, dead and several others injured, reports UNB.
They said employees of Evergreen Ltd had been observing a peaceful work abstention for four days, pressing a 20-point demand that included reinstatement of retrenched workers, an end to layoffs, reduced production targets, and payment for overtime. Workers from other factories inside the EPZ also joined in solidarity.
According to the statement, instead of addressing the crisis, the factory authorities suddenly suspended operations without clearing wages, which sparked Monday’s demonstration. “Police and army personnel fired shots at the protesters, causing the tragic death,” the BTUS leaders alleged.
The union leaders further accused the government of institutionalising exploitation inside EPZs by enacting separate laws that curtail labour rights and by restricting the access of labour-related agencies. They alleged that factory owners, in collusion with EPZ authorities, were arbitrarily dismissing workers, harassing them, and violating labour standards with impunity.
Drawing parallels with earlier crackdowns on garment workers’ protests in Ashulia and Gazipur, BTUS termed the incident a continuation of “authoritarian suppression” of workers’ movements under the interim government.
The statement demanded immediate identification and prosecution of those responsible for the shooting, lifelong financial support for the family of deceased worker Habib, proper treatment and compensation for the injured, and reopening of all closed factories with full payment of arrears to workers.