Bangladesh workers block Dhaka-Mymensingh highway over factory closures, unpaid wages

Dhaka, Aug 12 Hundreds of ready-made garment (RMG) workers staged a protest on Tuesday morning by blocking the Dhaka–Mymensingh Highway in Gazipur district, demanding the reopening of shuttered factories and immediate payment of their pending wages.

Around 200 employees of Rowa Fashions Limited held the protest near the flyover adjacent to Bhogra

Confirming the blockade, Wahiduzzaman Raju, Additional Superintendent of Gazipur Industrial Police, said that measures were taken to restore order.

“We are trying to control the situation… details will be announced later,” said the police official speaking to Bangladesh’s leading newspaper, The Daily Star.

According to the police, the protest also led to the closure of several other factories in the Chowdhurybari area of Dhaka.

The protesters said that they were demanding the payment of their July wages and opposing the factory relocation.

The factory owner served a notice on Monday, citing Section 13(1) of the labour law to shut the factory due to unrest and financial setbacks.

“I am selling land to pay the dues. Once the sale is complete, I will clear the payments. I need a few days,” said Enayet Karim, the owner of the factory.

Meanwhile, on Monday evening, several hundred workers from two garment factories held officials hostage inside the Srom Bhaban in Dhaka’s Bijoynagar area, demanding unpaid salaries and dues.

“Despite repeated promises, factory owners have failed to pay the workers. The government has also taken no effective steps. Unless concrete measures are taken, our protest will continue,” said Shafiul Alam, president of the Bangladesh Garments and Industrial Workers Federation (Gazipur Metropolitan unit).

Earlier on Sunday, the workers of a private firm in Bangladesh’s Dhaka staged a demonstration while demanding unpaid wages along with other benefits, leading to traffic snarls and blockade of the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway in the Gazipur region of Dhaka.

The private firm is a joint venture between the United Arab Emirates and a Bangladeshi partner.

The workers began their protest on Sunday morning, leading to the blockade, causing traffic congestion and distress to the people, including passengers and drivers, leaving them ‘stranded for hours’.

Protests and strikes by workers over non-payment of dues and deteriorating working conditions have gripped the entire country since the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus came to power in August 2024.

Several reports have revealed that the continuous protests by the workers have led to the closure of many factories, while many workers have also lost their lives or been seriously injured during protest marches.

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