Workers in Gazipur staged a protest on Wednesday by blocking the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway from 9:30am to 10:30am, demanding unpaid wages.
The blockade led to a significant traffic jam as vehicles were held up on both sides of the highway.
The protest began with workers from Tex Garment Factory blocking the road in Gazipur.
Gazipur Industrial Police Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Mosharraf Hossain said that the metropolitan police, army, and industrial police engaged with the protesters to restore order.
“The workers blocked both sides of the highway near Shahadat Plaza in Gazipur, protesting the non-payment of their October wages,” said Hossain.
Gazipur Metropolitan Police (GMP) Tongi West police station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Iskandar Habibur Rahman confirmed that traffic flow resumed at around 10:30am after discussions with the workers.
According to Traffic Police Sub-Inspector Monir Hossain, vehicle movement from Tongi Collegegate to Chandana Chowrasta on the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway returned to normal.
In a separate incident, workers from the Apparels-21 Limited (Lithi Group) garment factory in Baniarchala (Bagher Bazar) area under Gazipur Sadar police station also protested by blocking the highway, demanding the withdrawal of a case filed by the factory authorities and payment of overdue wages.
Gazipur Industrial Police-2 Inspector Abdul Latif said that some workers from the textile and dyeing sections of the Lithi Group factory started production in the morning.
However, the garment section of Lithi Group had been closed indefinitely by the factory authorities under Section 13(1) of the Bangladesh Labor Act 2006 as of November 9.
The workers, including Belayet, Anwar Hossain, and Oshapla Akhter, expressed their frustration: “The factory authorities announced an indefinite closure without clearing October’s wages and filed a case accusing workers of forgery. We demand our back wages, withdrawal of charges against innocent workers, and reopening of the factory.”
According to industrial police sources, the protest escalated at 8am when workers started gathering in the Pantex intersection area near Lithi. The road was finally cleared by 11:15am after police reassurances that the factory owners would discuss wage payments, drop cases against workers, and consider reopening the factory.
Attempts to contact the authorities of Tex Garments and the Lithi Group garment section for comments were unsuccessful.