No rest from labour unrest: Beximco workers block Gazipur highway for 7th day

Workers of several Beximco Industrial Park factories in Gazipur have blocked the Chandra-Nabinagar Highway for the 7th day as their October salaries remain unpaid despite repeated assurances and government initiatives.

The workers blocked the highway from 9:00am to 7:00pm today (21 November), reports our correspondent.

The Beximco workers first took to the streets demanding their salaries last Thursday (14 November). Since then, they have blocked the highway every day, except the last Friday, creating extreme traffic congestion on the busy road and causing endless sufferings for hundreds of thousands of commuters who travel through there every day.

The government has recently announced that it would provide Beximco with Tk60 crore in loans to pay off the overdue wages of the protesting workers.

Their protest also took a violent turn earlier this week, after workers of another factory clashed with protesters from Beximco. A knitwear factory was torched while several other factories were vandalised as the clashes intensified and locals were attacked.

Commuters suffer, goods transport face obstacles, factories closed

As the road blockade by Beximco workers continues, commuters on the road are forced to travel by alternative means, including battery-run rickshaws and walking. 

The blockade is also obstructing transportation of goods through the roads.

Vehicles heading to northern regions of the country are using alternative routes, including the Dhaka-Tangail highway and the Dhamrai-Kaliakair regional road, to maintain connectivity with Dhaka. 

Locals have called for immediate measures from the government to restore normalcy on the roads.

In the Zirani area, workers of Ha-meem Group's That's It Knit Ltd factory also continued their road blockade for the second consecutive day, protesting various issues including factory mismanagement and demanding the construction of a foot overbridge.

They are demanding better factory management and the construction of a foot overbridge in the area. On the first day, army personnel and industrial police managed to clear the protesters from the road by 11am, but the workers resumed their protests on Thursday.

Law enforcement, including army personnel, industrial police, and Gazipur Metropolitan Police, were on-site, attempting to convince the workers to leave the road.

According to Industrial Police and BGMEA sources, over a dozen factories in Kashimpur of Gazipur have been declared closed amid the protest by Beximco workers and Ha-Meem Group's That's IT factory workers.

Among the factories declared closed for today are – That's IT Knit factory, Doreen Group's Doreen Apparels, Doreen Fashion Ltd, Autotax Ltd , Uttara Knitwear Ltd, Northern Fashion Ltd, Irish Fabrics Ltd, Radial International Ltd, Anupam Sweater Ltd, Turag Garments Ltd.

Locals said there are around 41,000 workers in the Beximco Industrial Park's apparel and ceramic factories. They have been blocking the road from morning till evening for the last week. 

Despite assurances from Industrial Police, Bangladesh Army and Gazipur Metropolitan Police, the protests have been going on non-stop.

The workers said they will not leave the road till their wages are paid.