Workers at AA Young Mills Limited factory in Sreepur, Gazipur, staged a protest by blocking the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway from 6am to 7:30am on Saturday, demanding the implementation of a new salary structure.
The aggrieved workers, struggling to make ends meet with a monthly income of Tk6,000, highlighted that while garment owners had increased wages, spinning factory owners had not followed suit.
Despite repeated pleas to the factory authorities for a salary hike, the workers claimed their requests were ignored, leading to the highway demonstration.
The protest caused traffic jams on both sides of the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway, prompting the intervention of Shilpa Police, Mauna Highway Police, and Sreepur Thana Police.
Attempts were made to persuade the workers to clear the road, but tensions escalated, resulting in the vandalism of 10 to 15 vehicles trapped in the traffic jam.
The workers alleged that the police chased and beat them, using sound grenades to induce panic.
In response, the workers threw bricks at the police, claiming that their peaceful protest was met with police brutality, resulting in injuries to some workers and pedestrians.
Complaints about low wages have reportedly led workers to leave spinning mills for employment in garment factories.
AA Young Mills Limited's Human Resource Department Officer Mohammad Sultan Uddin said that discussions had taken place to address the salary concerns but alleged that the workers were uncooperative, protesting on the road without considering alternative solutions.
Mawna Highway police station Sub-Inspector Ismail Hossain mentioned that tear gas, sound grenades, and rubber bullets were deployed to disperse the workers and clear the highway after attempts to persuade them had failed.
