Workers of Iris Fabrics Limited and Iris Knitwear Limited once again blocked the Chandra-Nabinagar section of the Dhaka-Tangail highway in Zirani, Gazipur, protesting the management's failure to meet their promised demands.
The blockade, which began at 8am on Saturday, has caused severe traffic congestion on both sides of the highway, leaving passengers and pedestrians stranded.
The workers are pushing for a 16-point demand list, including the removal of key factory officials such as Halim Hossain (GM of Administration), Mahbub Alam (GM of Production), Zakir Hossain (IE Manager), and security guard Gafur.
Other demands include an end to worker harassment, fair treatment without abusive language, double overtime pay for Friday shifts during urgent shipments, unrestricted use of mobile phones, equal attendance bonuses, and the implementation of service benefits.
Workers also insist on no wage withholding for urgent absences, a night allowance of Tk100, a tiffin allowance of Tk50, and an attendance bonus of Tk825. Furthermore, they demand that no worker be dismissed as a result of the protests.
The situation escalated after the factory management, despite promising to meet the workers’ demands, failed to fulfill them when work resumed on Saturday following the Thursday closure.
Frustrated workers took to the streets again, blocking the vital highway. Female workers expressed anger, saying: “Despite working through the night for urgent shipments, we were only given a 10-taka tiffin. After 10 years of service, we still haven’t received our benefits. We will continue protesting until our demands are met.”
Nearly 17 nearby factories have declared a general holiday to prevent unrest and potential vandalism. Army personnel were deployed to the site to control the situation.
Superintendent of Police (Industrial Police-2) Sarwar Alam confirmed the blockade, saying: "Although the factory management has agreed to some of the demands, the workers are continuing their protests. As a result, several nearby factories have announced holidays to avoid further unrest."
Efforts to reach the factory management for comment were unsuccessful.