Police fire tear gas as RMG workers block Dhaka-Mymensingh highway for fourth day
The protesters left the road around 12:15pm, ending the blockade.
Police fired tear gas to disperse several hundred garment workers who blocked the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway in Uttara for the fourth consecutive day today (15 October), demanding higher minimum wages, timely payment of wages and an end to arbitrary layoffs.
The blockade brought traffic on both sides of the highway to a standstill, causing severe congestion on surrounding roads and leaving commuters, long-distance bus passengers and pedestrians struggling to reach their destinations.
Uttara West Police Station Officer-in-Charge Khalid said workers from several garment factories in Uttara began blocking the main road in the Azampur area around 9:30am before moving to the Rajlokhhi area under the same police station, reports UNB.
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Police tried several times to persuade the protesters to leave the highway. When those efforts failed, officers chased them away and fired tear gas around 11:45am.
Witnesses said workers from different garment factories had been demonstrating in various lanes of Uttara since yesterday morning before gathering in Azampur and blocking the main road.
The blockade left vehicles stranded in long queues along the Airport-Abdullahpur stretch of the highway, disrupting movement across Uttara and neighbouring areas. Hundreds of passengers travelling on long-distance buses were caught in the congestion.
Many got off their buses and continued on foot after finding they could not reach their destinations on time, while commuters heading to work and people travelling for urgent purposes also faced considerable hardship.
Traffic later returned to normal around 12:15pm after the protesters left the road.
The demonstration followed a similar protest on Wednesday, when workers from several garment factories blocked the highway in Azampur over the same demands.
Garment workers have been staging demonstrations and blocking roads in and around Uttara since Monday, pressing for Tk30,000 minimum wage, and timely wage payments, among other demands.
