RMG workers in Gazipur lift blockade, protest continues at Tongi
Law enforcement agencies, including the army, intervene to restore order
Readymade garment workers in Gazipur's Kaliakair have withdrawn their blockade from the Dhaka-Tangail Highway, allowing traffic to resume. However, workers in Tongi are continuing their protest on the Dhaka-Mymensingh Highway.
Earlier this morning (11 March), garment workers in Tongi blocked key highways over unpaid wages and in Gazipur Kaliakair workers protested the assault of a fellow worker.
The workers staged demonstrations on the Dhaka-Mymensingh and Dhaka-Tangail highways, causing severe traffic congestion and disrupting daily commutes.
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Law enforcement agencies, including the army, intervened to restore order. Tongi East police station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Faridul Islam said efforts were underway to remove the protesters and restore normalcy.
The unrest began in Tongi's Hossain Market area, where workers of BSIS Apparel's garment factory took to the streets, demanding a month's unpaid wages.
Industrial police and factory workers said the workers of BHIS Apparels Limited were supposed to receive their salaries for February on 9 March. However, as payments were not made, they stopped working and staged a sit-in inside the factory yesterday. The factory management allegedly stalled throughout the day, prompting workers to leave in the evening.
This morning, when workers arrived at the factory, they found a notice announcing an indefinite closure.
The notice read: "All workers and employees of this factory are informed that at around 10am on 10 March, employees engaged in unlawful activities inside the factory and refused to resume work despite repeated requests. Such behaviour amounts to an illegal strike."
The management cited concerns over potential sabotage by "unruly workers" as the reason for the shutdown, stating it was done under Section 13(1) of the Bangladesh Labour Act 2006.
The notice further mentioned that the factory would reopen when a conducive environment is restored, with security and emergency services remaining operational.
Their protest escalated into a highway blockade, leading to widespread traffic disruption.
Commuters faced immense difficulties as the demonstration brought traffic to a standstill. Upon receiving reports of the protest, law enforcement officials arrived at the scene and attempted to negotiate with the workers.
In a separate incident in Mouchak, Kaliakair upazila, garment workers staged a protest after one of their colleagues was assaulted at a factory. In response, they blocked the Dhaka-Tangail highway, leading to further congestion. Police and other security personnel reached the area to bring the situation under control.
Superintendent of Gazipur Industrial Police-2, AKM Zahirul Islam, said, "At around 10:45am, we managed to convince the workers in Kaliakair to leave the road, allowing traffic to resume. However, the workers in Tongi are still refusing to leave. We are trying to negotiate with them to clear the highway."
Fearing an escalation of unrest, authorities declared several garment factories in Itahata and Islampur areas closed for the day. Additionally, multiple chaotic incidents were reported across different garment factories, leading to at least 15 factory closures.
