The country’s major industrial hub, Gazipur, witnessed a daylong workers’ protest in various parts of the districts, which resulted in a halt in traffic on the Dhaka-Mymensingh and Dhaka-Tangail highways.
According to the Industrial Police and stakeholders, the workers of several factories took to the streets to demand multiple demands, including payment of arrears, overtime, and Eid bonuses, and protested the incident of worker assaults.
However, the law enforcement agencies and the army members convinced the workers to lift their protests. About 10-12 factories declared general holidays fearing the incidents of any vandalism.
On March 9, the workers of the BHIS Apparels took to the streets demanding their February wages as the factory authority failed to pay the wages on their committed date.
In this regard, the workers abstained from production activities on Monday and demonstrated in protest. The authority declared the factory closed, further agitating the workers.
On Tuesday, the protests halted the usual traffic movement at Dhaka-Mymensingh highway until the law enforcers controlled it.
The workers of Camio USA Knitwear Ltd in Gazipur’s Bason Thana area staged demonstration took part in factory vandalism on Tuesday demanding their February wages.
They set finished goods ablaze and looted a significant portion of goods, according to the factory authority.
The workers also blocked the Bhogra Bypass and Dhaka-Tangail Highway on Tuesday.
Bason Thana OC Kawsar Ahmed said that they convinced the workers to return from the road and the traffic movement became normal after four hours.
On the same day, regarding assault of a worker, the workers of a factory in Mouchak thana blocked the Dhaka-Tangail highway, which halted the traffic movement.
Fearing arson attacks and vandalism, about 10-12 factories declared a general holiday. Then, the law enforcers forced the workers to leave the roads, and traffic movement returned to normalcy about 12:30pm.
