"Fatal assault on union leader triggers protests in Bangladesh’s Gazipur", 27 June 2023

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...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..Islam had threatened to report the matter to the Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishment, media reports said.

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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.