Workers in Tongi, Gazipur, have blocked the highway in protest after seeing an indefinite closure notice at the factory gate.
As a result, traffic on both sides of the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway has come to a halt, causing inconvenience to passengers and drivers.
On Tuesday from 8:00am, workers of BSIS Factory in the Dattapara (Hossain Market) area of Tongi staged a protest blocking the highway, demanding their due salaries. Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) of Gazipur Industrial Police, Mohammad Wahiduzzaman, confirmed the incident.
The workers claim that their February salaries were supposed to be paid on Sunday. On Monday morning, when they entered the factory, they stopped working and staged a peaceful protest inside the factory. Later that day, as the factory authorities failed to pay their wages, the workers left in the afternoon.
On Tuesday morning, upon arriving at the factory, the workers found a notice at the gate declaring an indefinite closure. Subsequently, from 8:00am, the workers began their protest in front of the factory. They claim that although the factory authorities had promised to pay two months' due wages in March, instead of doing so, they put up the closure notice.
"Since the factory authorities have not paid our wages, we were forced to block the road," said the protesting workers. At one point, the agitated workers took position on the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway in front of Hossain Market (Imperial Hospital), causing a complete shutdown of vehicular movement in both directions.
As of the time this report was written, highway traffic remained at a standstill. Upon receiving the news, industrial and local police arrived at the scene and urged the workers to vacate the highway.
In the closure notice, the factory authorities stated that on Monday at 10:15am, workers and employees unlawfully stopped work and engaged in unruly behavior inside the factory. Despite repeated requests to resume work, they refused to comply. Their actions amounted to an illegal strike.
The authorities believe that the disorderly workers and employees could incite any form of sabotage within the factory. Under these circumstances, the factory management was compelled to declare an indefinite closure of the factory starting Tuesday under Section 13(1) of the Bangladesh Labour Act 2006.
The reopening date of the factory will be announced through a notice once a favorable environment is restored. However, the security section and other emergency service providers will remain outside the scope of this closure.
