Workers of two garment factories staged violent protests Monday, blocking roads for nearly five hours in the city’s Mirpur and Kalabagan areas that caused long jams and untold sufferings to office-goers and students during the morning rush hour, police said.
Several hundred agitating workers of Misami Bitopi Garments took to the street on the east side of Begum Rokeya Sarani at Shewrapara, demanding attendance bonus and hike in wages around 9:30am.
Meanwhile, nearly three hundred workers of Basundhara Garments Ltd blocked one side of the two-lane Kalabagan road for nearly three hours from 10:30am, protesting the shifting of the factory to a new location.
Traffic on the busy roads came to a halt for around five hours following the protests.
Hundreds of vehicles were seen stuck in long queues that stretched for several kilometres, said Kazi Wazed Ali, officer-in-charge of Kafrul police station. Assistant commissioner of Dhanmondi zone Kazi Rabiul Islam said additional police were deployed to prevent any untoward incidents.
The workers of Misami Bitopi Garments dispersed after the owner offered to discuss their demands, while the workers of Basundhara Garments left the road after the owner assured them of delaying the shifting of the factory.
Production at both factories were suspended following the demonstrations.
