Police deployed water cannons against workers demanding overdue wages in Ashulia, Savar, forcing them to disperse and allowing normal traffic to resume after 32 hours of blockage, with no injuries reported.
The protest, involving hundreds of workers from Generation Next Limited, began on Monday morning and continued into Tuesday, resulting in severe traffic congestion on the Nabinagar-Chandra and Abdullahpur-Baipail highways.
The protesting workers claim that the factory has been closed for over three months due to a general holiday declared by the management.
The workers have staged several protests demanding their unpaid wages and have contacted organizations such as BGMEA and others.However, due to the non-payment of their dues, they resorted to blocking the roads in protest.
Later in the afternoon, joint forces, including the army and industrial police, attempted to persuade the workers to disperse.
When the workers refused to comply, the authorities used water cannons to remove the protesters from the road. During this time, some agitated workers vandalized several vehicles.
Ashulia police station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Abu Bakar Siddique said that the joint forces have brought the factory owner's sister and the deputy managing director (DMD) under legal action. This information was communicated to the agitated workers.
He also said that, if necessary, the factory could be sold or its assets liquidated to pay the overdue wages. The workers were urged to clear the road. While one group of workers accepted this, another group insisted on remaining on the road. Eventually, they were forced to use water cannons to remove them from the road.
A source close to the factory, who wished to remain anonymous, revealed that the factory's chairman, Touhidul Islam, is currently evading authorities.
At the same time, the Managing Director, Rajib Shetty, an Indian national, has returned to India, leaving the issue unresolved.
With nearly 4,000 workers employed at the factory, it is currently facing approximately Tk13-14 crore in overdue payments.
A factory official indicated that operations could resume if funds are made available through government or bank loans.