RMG workers block Uttara roads over Tk30,000 minimum wage, dues

Garment workers blocked the Dhaka-Mymensingh Highway in Uttara's Azampur for two and a half hours today (14 October), demanding a minimum monthly wage of Tk30,000, payment of outstanding dues and wage increases.

Several hundred workers from multiple factories took to the roads, disrupting traffic between the airport and Jasimuddin Road and causing severe congestion across Uttara.

However, the workers withdrew the blockade and cleared the roads around 1:30pm following intervention by police and traffic officials, Kamrul Hasan Talukder, officer-in-charge of Airport Police Station, told TBS, adding that traffic had "started to move normally".

Earlier, the workers began assembling in the area in the morning and blocked the main highway at Azampur at around 11am, bringing traffic to a standstill. 

Their protest later spread to the airport-bound road and the Jasimuddin area. Around noon, a large procession from Uttarkhan joined the demonstration.

The blockade caused severe congestion on the Dhaka-Mymensingh Highway, the airport road, the bus rapid transit (BRT) lane and roads inside Uttara.

Office-goers, students and pedestrians faced significant difficulties, with many passengers getting off stranded buses and walking to their destinations. The congestion also disrupted the movement of Fire Service vehicles and other emergency services.

The workers said they had been demonstrating since Monday, demanding that the minimum monthly wage be raised to Tk30,000 to reflect the rising cost of living. They also called for the payment of outstanding wages and other dues.

Today's protest was the third consecutive day of demonstrations. Worker leaders said they would continue their movement until their demands were met and planned another programme for tomorrow.