"Hundreds sacked after Bangladesh garment strikes", 16 January 2019

Bangladesh factories making clothes for Western brands have sacked hundreds of workers after more than a week of strikes and clashes over wages... The demonstrations died down this week after the government agreed to raise salaries, but many returned to work on Wednesday to discover they had been laid off.

A top union leader said at least 750 workers at various companies in the manufacturing hub of Ashulia had found notices hanging on factory gates informing them of their dismissal along with photos of their faces.

"This is unjust. The owners are doing it to create a climate of fear so that no one can dare to stage protests or demand fair wages," the leader said... "Police told me not to create trouble. Otherwise I'll be disappeared."

Police and a senior factory manager gave a lower total of around 400 workers fired for damaging equipment during the strike -- with more than half from one Ashulia plant called Metro Knitting and Dyeing.

Metro Knitting's general manager Atiqul Islam told AFP that the company has reported nearly 300 workers to police for smashing the factory's CCTV cameras and computers...