Worker of Lenny Fashion and Lenny Apparels have lifted their blockade on the Nabinnagar-Chandra Road in Savar DEPZ area after a lengthy discussion and an agreement between the two parties, ending a 33-hour-long protest.
This was confirmed through a brief text message by Police Superintendent Mohammad Sarwar Alam of the Industrial Police-1.
The message said: "After lengthy discussions, both parties have reached an agreement. The blockade has been lifted, and traffic has returned to normal."
The protesting workers mentioned that following a joint meeting with law enforcement agencies, the DEPZ authorities, and the workers, they were assured that their overdue payments would be settled within the next three months.
After receiving this assurance, the workers lifted the blockade at 4:20pm.
Anwar Parvez, executive director (Public Relations) of BEPZA, said: "As far as I know, during the discussions, the workers agreed to a three-month time frame. During this period, the factory will be sold through an auction, and all workers’ dues will be paid. Additionally, workers have been asked to submit their documents by December 2, as the verification process is time-consuming. The goal is to ensure that once the factory is sold, the workers' dues can be paid immediately."
Earlier, workers from Lenny Fashion and Lenny Apparels, which had shut down in 2021 due to financial issues, started a protest by blocking the road at around 7:30am on Tuesday, demanding payment of their overdue wages.
Later, on Wednesday morning, the protesting workers not only continued the blockade but also shut down access to the old DEPZ premises.
As a result, all industrial units in the old section of DEPZ were forced to halt their operations.
An Ansar member stationed at the DEPZ gate reported that workers from various factories in DEPZ, who arrived for work in the morning, were not allowed to enter by the protesting workers. As a result, workers from the Vibhuta factory had to return without being able to enter the premises.
However, operations continued as usual in the industrial units located in the new section of DEPZ.