Workers of Golden Refit Garments Ltd in Gazipur have withdrawn their blockade of the Dhaka-Mymensingh Highway after four hours on Wednesday, following assurances that their demands would be met.
In the Baghair Bazar area of Gazipur, a female worker of Golden Refit Garments Ltd died after being struck by an auto-rickshaw, causing her to fall on the road and suffer a fatal head injury.
Following the incident, workers blocked the Dhaka-Mymensingh Highway for four and a half hours.
Traffic movement resumed at 12:30pm when the workers dispersed.
Inspector Ismail Hossain of Gazipur Industrial Police confirmed the matter.
The accident occurred on the highway in the Baghair Bazar area at 6:15am on Wednesday.
The deceased, Mosammat Jannatul, 32, was the wife of Ismail Hossain from Borchar village in Karimganj Upazila, Kishoreganj.
She lived in a rented house in Baghair Bazar and worked as a sewing operator at Golden Refit Garments Ltd.
According to protesting workers, the factory management must bear the cost of the deceased worker’s burial and provide financial support for her child and family in accordance with labor laws.
They also demanded that, starting from the first day of Ramadan, factory duty hours be changed from 6am to 9pm.
From Thursday, duty hours must be from 7am to 5pm, and no worker should be required to work after Iftar unless absolutely necessary.
Additionally, salaries for 20 days of the upcoming month, including overtime and dues, must be cleared before the Eid holidays.
The Eid holiday period must be from March 28 to April 6.
Once these commitments were accepted, the workers withdrew from the highway at 12:30pm and traffic resumed.
Dr Bijon Malakar, the on-duty physician at Sreepur Upazila Health Complex, said: “The female worker, Mosammat Jannatul, was brought to the hospital dead.”
Zainul Alam Ripon, deputy general manager (DGM) of the factory’s Human Resources and Administration Department, refuted claims made in various media reports that the deceased worker was denied leave to care for her sick child.
"The actual incident is that while she was crossing the highway on her way to work on Wednesday morning, she collided with an auto-rickshaw and fell on the road, sustaining severe head injuries. The factory authorities attempted to rescue her and take her to the hospital, but she died on the way,” he explained.
Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Mohammad Wahiduzzaman of Gazipur Industrial Police said: “Workers blocked the Dhaka-Mymensingh Highway for four and a half hours after a female worker was killed by a truck. Once their demands were accepted, they withdrew from the road, and traffic resumed at 12:30pm.”
The deceased worker, Mosammat Jannatul, was crossing the highway on her way to the factory when she collided with an auto-rickshaw and fell.
At that moment, a high-speed truck heading towards Dhaka ran over her, killing her on the spot.
As news of her death spread, factory workers occupied the highway, causing severe traffic congestion on both sides, leading to significant difficulties for drivers and passengers.
