Namibia was to begin repatriating some 400 Bangladeshi workers who protested living conditions and pay at a textile plant owned by a Malaysian supplier to top sportswear brands such as Nike and Puma.

Police informed the workers on Saturday that their work permits had been revoked following an assault on two managers that had come to inspect living conditions at the Ramatex Textiles Namibia plant near the capital Windhoek.

"The agreement was reached last night with Namibian authorities and management of Ramatex. Please stay calm," chief inspector Andries Van der Beyl told the labourers at their residence as police guarded the premises.

He said the workers would leave between Sunday and Wednesday and that all travel costs would be covered by the company.

The Malaysian textile giant manufactures fabric and garments for brands such as Nike, Puma, Otto Versand, Wal-Mart and Sears, while one of its subsidiaries produces branded goods for Dior and Ralph Lauren.

On Friday the workers attacked two managers of Eastern Overseas Corporation, a recruitment agency based in Dhaka, Bangladesh, who had come to inspect their living conditions in the plant near Windhoek.

Company workers showed labour union officials and journalists their appalling living conditions at the plant, where they were forced to share a single toilet and use outside taps to wash.

Modern slave trade

The workers, who arrived last month, said they had been promised accommodation, food and a monthly salary of RM456.

But workers claimed RM171 of their monthly pay was being docked to buy food.

"We had to pay 3,500 dollars (RM13,300) to Eastern Overseas to be recruited. To raise that money, most of us had to sell our houses, land and livestock and take out loans. As a result many are indebted today", Hossein Zakkir, one of the labourers told AFP.

The Namibian government told the company it "views the current developments as a disturbing issue" and vowed to investigate the situation.

The National Union of Namibian Workers (NUNW) on Friday threatened nationwide action unless the conditions of the Bangladeshis improved.

"This appears like modern slave trade," said Herbert Jauch of the Labour Relations and Research Institute, adding that the Bangladeshi workers were given just seven days leave per year in violation of Namibian labour laws.

The textile giant Ramatex Berhad was founded in 1982 and has subsidiaries in eleven countries. It is listed on the Kuala Lumpur stock exchange.