Workers of a garment factory in Tongi Hossain Market area of ​​Gazipur have blocked the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway demanding salary and Eid bonus. The protest, which started at 7 am on Sunday (March 23), has brought traffic to a standstill on the highway, causing long traffic jams.

The workers alleged that their February salaries were not paid and that the authorities had not met the payment date despite giving them multiple dates. In view of this, a notice to close the factory was hung on March 11, which created anger among the workers. Like last time, they blocked the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway and started the protest. Police and army members went to the spot, calmed the workers down and brought them in front of the factory. Traffic on the highway returned to normal around 8:30 am.

Industrial Police Inspector Md. Ismail Hossain said that the factory workers had earlier blocked the highway and protested, when the owner had assured to pay the salaries by March 20. Of these, 1,250 workers have been paid their salaries, but the remaining 250 have not been paid yet. Yesterday, when the workers announced that they would not work, the factory was closed under the ‘no work, no pay’ policy. Discussions are currently underway with the owners regarding the workers’ demands.