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STOP REPRESSION AT DULAMIA COTTON SPINNING MILL The Company Dulamia Cotton Spinning Mills is situated at Dagan Bhuya Village, Dist. Feni, about 130 Miles from Dhaka City. The mill was established in 1991. Total employee at present is 918 of whom 250 are women.
The Owner
The owner, Mr. A. A. Minto is the president of the Bangladesh EmployerAssociation. He is also a leading member of the ruling party, AWAMI League. A.A. Minto is of great influence to the local administration including the Labour Department.
Working conditions at the factory
From the very inception, workers were treated like slaves. There was no humanitarian treatment to the workers. No trade union was allowed to be formed. Even labour law such as the"Factory Act" was never
implemented.
Previous attempt of the workers to form a trade union resulted to their
torture and removal from the job. Such inhuman kind of repression can
be substantiated from the incident of two deaths during the last 5
years. The sick workers were never allowed medical treatments nor any leaves. Two workers died in the mill during work without having leave for medical treatment.
As a result of the grave oppression and torture, the workers
desperately decided to form a trade union this year. In March, the
union was formed and pertinent documents were consequently submitted to the government's Labour Department for registration but was rejected. The rejection was apparently influenced by the company owner, A.A. Minto.
The owner M. AA Minto was furious when he learned the news of the union formation. He attacked the sleeping workers by hired musclemen or goons on the night of 3 May 1997 where several workers were badly injured.
In 5 May 1997, the management called for a conciliation meeting at the
managers office. During the meeting (attended by political leaders and
the officer-in-charge of the local police station) the hired goons again, attacked the union leaders and the workers with lethal weapons.
The police officers and the policemen on duty were silent spectators
when the trade union leaders and the members were mercilessly beaten.
The supposed conciliation meeting was a clear conspiracy between the
owner and the policemen to gather the union leaders and attack them in a defenseless position. The local police has already been bought out by
the company owner. Instead of defending the victim, police accepted a
false criminal charges against the union leaders. A case was filed by
the owner against the whole leadership of the union (33) - even though
the unionists were the victims. Among the accused, the following union leaders have been arrested.
1. Mr. Khairul Baset (General Secretary)
2. Mr. Md. Hanif (Ex. Com. Member)
3. Mr. Shahidullah (-do-)
4. Mr. Abdul Kuddus (-do-)
5. Md. Siraj (-do-)
6. Mr. Shanjahan (-do-)
Please send the following letter of protest to:
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina
Fax: (880-2) 811015 / 813244
3 June 1997
Dear Prime Minister Hasina:In the name of the workers, our sincere greetings. We are writing to express our deep concern about the recent arrest of the six workers at the Dulamia Cotton Spinning Mill, located at Dagan Bhuya Village, Feni District. The workers were just exercising their legitimate labour rights, rights that are guaranteed and protected by international conventions ratified by Bangladesh.
The workers at the Dulamia Cotton Spinning Mill have been under oppressive working conditions since the company's establishment in 1991. They have been denied of basic workers' benefits like sick leave or medical treatment even if they are severely ill. As a matter of fact, there have been two deaths which occurred at the workplace in the last five years.
This gross violations of the workers' rights have motivated them decide to put up a union in the workplace, the last was in March. When the owner learned about the formation of the union, he hired goons and attacked the unprepared workers on the night of May 3 which injured a number of workers.
In May 5, the management offered a conciliation meeting which turned out to be a set up because the owner's goons, again attacked the workers. This time, they used lethal weapons. Surprisingly, the police who were just watched while the workers were being beaten.
We are confident that your government is committed to protecting
internationally guaranteed workers' rights. We urge your government to:
a) take proper action against the company owner, A.A. Minto, president
of the Bangladesh Employers Association and Member of the ruling
party, AWAMI League;
b) release the arrested and innocent workers;
c) withdraw all the false charges filed against them; and instruct the labour department for the registration of the workers' union.
Anticipating your just and immediate action on this matter.
Respectfully yours,
This Solidarity Appeal was signed and requested by:
Iqbal, Mjumder (General Secretary)
Bangladesh Jatiya Sramik Federation
(Bangladesh National Workers Federation)
15/A Purana Paltan (3rd Floor), Dhaka 1000 Bangladesh
Phone: (+880-2) 832358
Fax: (+880-2) 833129/ 831917
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