URGENT APPEAL

WORKERS ARRESTED, INJURED AND LAID OFF IN LABOR UNREST IN BANGLADESH

From the newspaper The Independent of Dhaka, Monday 14 July 1997 we understand that from the workforce of the Youngone factory in the Dhake Export Processing Zone, 9 workers are in jail, 300 are injured, 97 terminated from their job and cases are issued against 800 of the workers. This happed in reaction to the demand by the workers for the release of two of their colleagues who had been arrested earlier this week and the statement of an 11 point demand.

Before the workers got the chance even to make their demands clear they were attacked by a huge policeforce. Fifty workers were severely injured by police violence.

The Youngone factory is known for it's repressive atmosphere and the

oppression of any workers-union or -organisation. In the Export Processing Zone workers are deprived from their legal rights and facilities, even the ones they are entitled to in the EPZ, and are underpaid.

We hope you can ask the involved factory and employers organisations to:

- make sure that all arrested workers will be released;

- reinstate the fired workers;

- make sure that all worlkers who got injured last week have acces to

medical facilities.

You can make clear that we urge the involved organisations to apply the law of freedom of association and collective bargainig also in the Export Processing Zones, especially in the Youngone factory. The right to freedom of association and the right to collective bargainig are wordlwide recognized rights of workers, written down in conventions of the International Labor Organization.

Stress that European consumers become more and more aware of the bad working conditions in factories like Youngone.

Amirul Haque Amin, from the National Garment Workers Federation calls for people to send letters of solidarity to the injured, arrested and struggling workers of Youngone. You can direct the letters to the National Garment Workers federation (fax: 00-880-2-9562562).

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You could send contributions to the 'strike fund':

ST. Schone Kleren Overleg

AMSTERDAM

NR. P3927802

(Please mention 'NGWF')

[we will then make sure it gets to the National Garment Workers Federation.]