Approximately 23,000 garment workers have been sued in a number of cases related to the recent unrest over the setting of their minimum wage, union leaders said today.
"So far, 62 cases have been filed against about 23,000 workers in the Gazipur, Mirpur and Savar areas," said Kutubuddin Ahmed, secretary of the IndustriALL Bangladesh Council (IBC), which is affiliated with the IndustriALL Global Union.
More than 100 workers have already been arrested in connection with the cases, he said at a press conference at the Jatiya Press Club in Dhaka.
IBC President Amirul Haque Amin demanded during the press conference that the workers who had been arrested be released immediately and without conditions.
He also called on owners of factories to ensure medical care for injured employees and provide compensation to the relatives of those who lost their lives in the unrest.
If factories create a blacklist of agitated workers and punish them, IBC Vice President Babul Akhter threatened to file complaints with buyers.
Thousands of workers protested in different industrial belts, demanding for minimum wage to be increased to Tk 23,000.
The minimum wage board for garment workers recently increased the minimum salary from Tk 8,000 to Tk 12,500. The new wage has been rejected by union leaders.
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