Workers' Protest in Gazipur, BGB deployed
Apparel workers take to the street at Gazipur on Sunday, demanding a minimum wage of Tk 30,000. Agamir Somoy.
Garment workers are protesting in Kaliakair, Gazipur, demanding a minimum monthly wage of Tk 30,000. For the second consecutive day, thousands of workers have blocked the Dhaka-Tangail highway to protest for realising their demand.
During this time, a police box was set on fire. Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) personnel have been deployed in the area to bring the situation under control. Due to worker unrest, 18 garment factories in Safipur and nearby areas have been announced closed.
Around 8:30 am on Sunday, workers gathered in the Safipur area of Kaliakair Upazila and began blocking the Dhaka-Tangail highway. As a result, traffic on both sides of the highway came to a halt. Long-distance buses, goods trucks, and various other vehicles were stranded. Long traffic jams were created. Passengers and ordinary people suffered severely.
According to police and worker sources, workers joined work at various garment factories in the morning but soon they came out of their repective factories one by one and took to streets demanding a wage hike. The number of protesters increased over time. At one stage, when the situation became heated, a police box was set on fire. Later, along with law enforcement agencies, BGB was deployed to bring the situation under control.
Meanwhile, as traffic on the highway remained suspended for a long time, the road became almost empty. Taking advantage of this, some of the protesting workers played football, while others got engrossed in cricket.
As worker unrest spread, authorities of 18 garment factories in Safipur and nearby areas announced closures. This is disrupting normal production activities in the industrial area.
Officer-in-Charge (OC) Shahidul Islam of Kaliakair Police Station said workers have been positioned on the Dhaka-Tangail highway since this morning. Due to their blockade, traffic on the highway remains suspended.
Earlier, from Saturday noon until night, workers blocked the Dhaka-Tangail highway and protested with the same demand. Later at night, when they left the road, traffic became normal. However, the situation worsened as they took to the road again from Sunday morning.
Workers demand that their minimum monthly wage be set at Tk 30,000 in line with the current kitchen market situation. For the past few weeks, workers have been protesting in various industrial areas of Gazipur, including Konabari, Mouchak, and Safipur, demanding a wage increase. Although the government has decided to form a new wage board in this situation, their movement continues.
