BM Report:
The Bangladesh Council of Industrial Workers’ Unions (IBC) has issued a seven-point demand, calling for the immediate release of all arrested activists and workers, justice for the killing of workers, and compensation for the families of the victims.
In a press conference held on Wednesday, at the Dhaka Reporters Unity, IBC President Amirul Haque Amin read out the demands, which include:
* Payment of full wages to workers of closed factories under Section 13(1)
* Medical care for injured workers
* Compensation to the families of dead workers as loss of annual earnings
* A proper investigation into the murder of the 4 workers, arrest and prosecution of those responsible, and compensation to the families of the victims in accordance with ILO Convention 121
* Revision and increase of declared wages
IBC leaders Babul Akhtar, Tauhidur Rahman, Ruhul Amin, Salauddin Swapan, Chandan Kumar Dey, Abul Kalam Azad, Nurul Islam, China Rahman, Sahidullah Bhuia, Tahmina Rahman, Kamrul Hasan, Mamtazuddin, Rafiqul Islam, Papia Aktra Yasin, Ahmed, Kaysarun Nabi Rubel, Shahadat Hossain also spoke at the press conference.
The IBC’s demands come in the wake of a violent crackdown on garment workers’ protests for higher wages. So far, four workers have been killed, 115 people have been arrested, and 20,000 people have been charged in 43 cases.
