Garment workers from several factories in the Palli Bidyut area of Kaliakair, Gazipur, staged a protest on Saturday, blocking the Dhaka-Tangail highway to demand a wage increase.
The workers began protesting at around 9:30am, bringing traffic on the busy highway to a standstill and triggering severe congestion.
According to witnesses, workers at several garment factories in and around the Palli Bidyut area did not join their shifts on Saturday. Instead, they began demonstrating inside their respective factories before moving out onto the highway and blocking it at around 9:30am.
The blockade brought traffic to a halt in the Palli Bidyut area, causing significant disruption to commuters.
Mohammad Amjad Hossain, superintendent of Gazipur Industrial Police, said workers from six to seven garment factories in the area had taken to the Dhaka-Tangail highway that morning.
"Traffic on the highway is currently halted," he said, adding that members of the Industrial Police and district police were at the scene and law enforcement agencies remained on alert.
