Letter to the Editor
Bangladesh: Workers' Rebellions — 2006
Abbas [26.9.07]
Your editorial on Bangladesh in August 2007 issue touched the issue of workers' revolts in the year 2006 only very briefly. But the incidents deserved detailing. Here you could show pictures of how a workers' rebellion might start, snowball and spread among totally unorganised slave-like workers at this point of history when our class movement, internationally, had suffered a massive defeat and when there is no class party or organisation of the workers. And more and more this type of workers you see now everywhere in the third world. However, that could have been beyond the subject specified for the editorial. But then you could have another separate piece for this subject of workers' rebellions. Though it is late, time hasn't run out.
There are about 1.8 million such workers only in readymade garment industries of Bangladesh. Their condition was perhaps most succinctly and caustically expressed by one female worker to a British journalist in 2004: We women textile workers envy those women who can get into prostitution as they are more privileged than us .
The first outburst took place on Sunday May 20, 2006. In Sripur, a Dhaka suburb, 1000 workers of F S Sweater Factory just before 8 AM after assembling to join their shift started a sit-in with two demands: increase wage and release the arrested workers. Workers had been arrested two days earlier while demonstrating for wage hike. The management locked the workers on sit-in from all sides and stopped electricity and water connection of that place in that high summer, and then called the police. Police forces came at 11 AM and entering the premise started beating the workers cruelly and then fired upon the workers. 12 workers got bullet injury. Some workers could flee jumping the high walls. Many were arrested. The fuming workers blockaded the Dhaka-Moymonsingh High Road nearby. Many workers, family members and other toiling people from the workers barracks participated. At noon the assembly became huge and it took shape of a massive demo against police atrocities. A bigger police force confronted them. Lathi charge and firing went on. 1 worker died and 80 got bullet injuries. But the workers fought back with whatever things they had, and the fight continued till evening.
By the next morning the news spread. On Monday, 21st May, revolts started in one after another Readymade Garment Factory. The first incident was at Universal Garments in the Savar EPZ near Dhaka. The private security of a company assaulted the workers and the workers fought back. Then they went to the neighbouring factory and called upon the workers there to join them in revolt. The workers struck work and joined. Their number increased. They went then to one after one all the garment factory gates and called upon workers to join. One after another factory struck work and workers joined. The increasing mass of workers became 20,000 in number and the whole EPZ was on strike. These workers then blockaded the Highway to Dhaka and demanded end of police terror, release of worker-prisoners and settlement of workers' demands. A huge police contingent arrived. But the workers fought back and gave them such a beating that they had to retreat. Then came the paramilitary forces. They opened fire. Hundreds injured in bullets, many died on spot. The news of workers revolt, police firing, death… spread like wildfire and by the evening workers came out from all garment factories in all industrial areas neighbouring Dhaka.
By 22nd May [Tuesday] morning almost all workers came out on the streets and blockaded all roads to Dhaka. Nowhere police and paramilitary succeeded in removing blockades even after firing and injuring hundreds. Rather, workers joined by family members fought back, ransacked factories after factories, burnt down full warehouses after warehouses. Bangladesh Rifles arrived. More bullets. Workers were seizing industrial areas.
Next day [23rd], Dhaka dailies headlined: Dhaka besieged by workers! The capitalists demanded army rule over industrial areas. The trade unions affiliated to established political parties, who were nowhere around the workers struggles now quickly floated a ‘coordination' and declared in a news-conference that they on behalf of garment workers are submitting a charter of demands, and if that gets turned down they will call strike after 20 days. As if they didn't know that workers were already on strike and fight.
On 23rd and 24th May Dhaka remained weighed down by hundreds of thousands of rebel workers. The govt intervened and govt-owners and the recent-floated coordination quickly negotiated and declared that owners accepted all demands of workers regarding wage hike, 8-hours'-day, recess, overtime payment, etc and a committee is made up to fix the minimum wage. ‘It is now time to go back to work', said those unions.
That declaration and continuing state terror could abate the rebellion. But then, form 29th May to first week of June many rebellions occurred in many places sporadically as in the meantime the owners made it almost apparent that they would not abide by the ‘agreement'. For example: in the Savar EPZ workers again struck work and took to streets. Finally from 8th June, after permanent deployment of paramilitary in industrial zones, production normalized.
The second phase of workers rebellions started from September. Again strikes, blockades, fights with police forces… started. The workers started mocking the established TU leaders as betrayers. In the EPZ areas and outside fights spread. Govt ultimately bowed down for the time being even to the extent of allowing garment workers unions albeit only factory wise and not centrally.
Besides, Jute and Rail workers fought big battles in 2006. All these revolts taken together became one of the main reasons of clamping ‘emergency' and de facto martial rule.
More coverage on these can be found in the website of “In Defence Of Marxism”; you may disagree with some or many of their suppositions and conclusions, but you'll find news there. However, I still do not know about formation of new fighting organisations. Hope you or informed readers will furnish more information.