The killing of Shahid ul Islam, the president of the Gazipur wing of the Bangladesh Garment and Industrial Workers Federation (BIWF), led to a protest by union leaders and hundreds of garment workers on Monday, June 26. The 50-year-old was allegedly beaten to death in an attack on Sunday evening which other union members claim was perpetrated by “mercenaries” of factory owners.
Islam was assaulted after he came to discuss the issue of unpaid wages at the Prince Jacquard sweater factory. Garment workers at the factory have been demanding their unpaid salaries and Eid bonuses which were promised by June 25. Islam had threatened to report the matter to the Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishment, media reports said.
After the assault, he was rushed to the Tayrunnesa Memorial Medical College Hospital where he was declared dead. Two other labor leaders, 26-year-old Mostafa Kamal and 35-year-old Ahmed Sharif, also sustained injuries in the attack.
The police are blaming rival groups for assaulting the union leader. However, Kalpona Akter, executive director of the Bangladesh Center for Workers Solidarity, has filed a case against the factory management accusing them of “hiring goons.”
Harassment and abuse of workers by factory owners is a repeated occurrence in Bangladesh’s textile industry. Despite this industry accounting for 83% of the country’s total export earnings, workers have been struggling to make ends meet, earning a minimum wage of USD 75 per month (8,000 Bangladeshi Taka), which is just 26% of the country’s estimated living wage. The Bangladesh Garments Workers Unity Council has been demanding wages to be raised to 22,000 Bangladeshi Taka. According to estimates, there are over four million garment workers in Bangladesh.
