Garment workers from a factory named Bashundhara Garments Limited staged a demonstration and blocked the Dhaka-Aricha Highway in Hemayetpur, Savar on Monday morning, demanding payment of outstanding wages.
Police later dispersed the workers using tear gas shells and water cannons.
The road blockade began around 9am and continued for nearly an hour and a half. Traffic movement returned to normal following police intervention.
According to workers, the factory authorities have not paid wages for April and May.
In a notice issued on May 17, the factory was declared laid off from May 18 to May 31, with a promise to clear all due wages on May 25.
However, the management failed to pay on the promised date, prompting angry workers to block a local road near the factory on the evening of May 25.
Law enforcement officials intervened at that time as well, after which the authorities assured that wages would be paid on May 29. That deadline was also missed.
Although wages were again scheduled to be paid on Sunday, workers alleged that no payment was made. As a result, they launched a protest on the highway on Monday morning.
One worker, speaking on condition of anonymity, said: “The factory owner keeps giving new dates but never pays us. We had no option but to take to the streets. The police fired tear gas at us, hit us with batons, and sprayed water. Several workers were injured.”
Another worker said: “Even when the army summoned the owner and set a date for payment, he did not comply. If we don’t receive our wages and bonuses before Eid, how can we go home?”
Kabir Hossain, general secretary of the Savar unit of the National Garments Workers Federation, said: “The workers are owed two months’ wages. With Eid approaching, how can they survive without pay? We urge the factory management to clear all arrears immediately.”
Attempts to contact Mohammad Shahidullah, managing director of Bashundhara Garments Limited, were unsuccessful as his mobile phone was found switched off.
Superintendent of Police Mohammad Mominul Islam Bhuiyan of Ashulia Industrial Police-1 said: “When the workers blocked the road, we initially tried to persuade them to move. Later, we had to use tear gas and water cannons to bring the situation under control.”
