Workers in Gazipur took to the streets on Monday, blocking major highways in protest to demand job regularization, payment of arrears, and the recruitment of male workers.
Starting from Monday morning, protests erupted at several key locations, including Chandna Chowrasta, Bhogra, Naojor, Konabari, Bord Bazar, and Tongi.
The workers have put forward an eight-point demand, which includes job stabilization, salary increases, and family medical benefits. They have vowed to return to work only after their demands are met.
The protest caused a standstill on the western stretch of the highway.
According to the workers, various garment factories in Gazipur are only employing women, leaving male workers jobless. As a result, unemployed men from different factories joined the protests, demanding employment in the factories.
In a related incident, workers from Bata Shoe Company in Tongi blocked the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway, demanding job permanency.
Similarly, male garment workers blocked the Dhaka-Tangail and Dhaka-Mymensingh highways at Chandana Chowrasta and Bhogra Bypass, pressing for their demands.
Meanwhile, workers from the Ibne Sina factory in Konabari staged protests with their own set of demands.
Gazipur Industrial Police Inspector Saiful Islam confirmed that protests were taking place along the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway in the Tongi station area.
He noted that job seekers were also protesting in the Bhogra bypass area, claiming that only women were being recruited, causing frustration among male workers and resulting in traffic congestion.
Gacha police station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Ashraful Islam said that the workers had blocked the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway with various demands since the morning, and discussions were ongoing to resolve the issue.
Additional Superintendent of Police Imran Ahmed of Gazipur Industrial Police mentioned that efforts were underway to clear the workers from the highway.
Gazipur Traffic Deputy Police Commissioner Asak Kumar Barman added that the protests had caused traffic jams on the highways for some time.