"Bangladeshi labour leader beaten to death while trying to resolve dispute", 28June 2023

Police in Bangladesh are investigating the murder of a prominent trade union leader who was fatally beaten while trying to settle a dispute between a garment factory owner and workers over unpaid wages.

Shahidul Islam, 45, a top labour organiser for the Bangladesh Garment and Industrial Workers Federation (BGIWF), was attacked on Sunday evening in Gazipur...after intervening on behalf of workers who had gathered to demand back pay.

Ahmed Sharif, 35, a union organiser who was also wounded in the attack, told the Guardian he and Islam had visited the Prince Jacquard Sweater factory several times in the run-up to the attack because workers had been demanding unpaid salaries and wanted to be paid before Eid.

After the intervention of Islam and other labour leaders, the factory authorities reportedly promised the workers their wages would be paid on Sunday. However, when this didn’t happen, Islam was called in to help.

Islam and a group of fellow union leaders from other organisations reportedly entered the factory but could not find anyone from management to speak to.

Moments before the deadly assault at about 8pm, Islam addressed the crowd of workers and fellow activists, appealing to them to remain calm and said they would be taking their complaint to the Department Of Factory Inspection and Establishment the next day.

“We calmed the workers down and headed to the exit,” Sharif said. “As soon as we came out of the gate, a group of assailants grabbed Islam and separated him from us. They started cursing and randomly beating us, particularly Islam, some of them were kicking him mercilessly,” he added.

Sharif said by the time he and others were able to free him from the attackers, Islam was seriously injured and became unconscious. He was taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead, according to Sharif....

Kalpona Akter, the president of the BGIWF, said that Islam had been a target in the past of threats and assaults due to his work.

Dolly Akhtar, a trade union activist, said she believes Islam’s killing was intended to scare other activists from unionising and speaking up on behalf of workers in the apparel industry...

Police confirmed that one suspect is in custody. “We have taken the case very seriously and every effort will be made to bring the culprits to justice,” said Shah Alam of Gazipur police. “We are awaiting the postmortem report. Once that arrives, we’ll have more evidence.”...

Hundreds of workers and union activists took to the streets of Gazipur at midnight on Sunday after the news of Islam’s death spread. Human rights and workers’ rights organisations in Bangladesh have condemned the murder and called for a thorough investigation.