Garment workers protest in Gazipur: Police clear highway, 7 factories declare holiday

Police have cleared garment workers who blocked the Dhaka–Tangail Highway in Kaliakair upazila of Gazipur with the demand that their minimum monthly wage be raised to Tk 30,000.

Traffic on the highway returned to normal at around 11:30 am today, Thursday, after remaining halted for nearly two hours. Meanwhile, seven factories in the area have declared a holiday due to the labour unrest.

Earlier, labour unrest broke out at several garment factories in the Mouchak area of Kaliakair upazila at around 8:30 am. Workers began protesting for higher wages instead of reporting for duty.

After the factories declared a holiday, some workers took up positions on the Dhaka–Tangail Highway at around 9:30 am, bringing traffic to a halt.

At one point, police fired sound grenades and chased the workers, forcing them to leave the highway. Traffic returned to normal at around 11:30 am.

Gazipur Industrial Police Superintendent Amzad Hossain confirmed the matter. Speaking to Prothom Alo after 11:30 am today, he said the workers had cleared the highway for time being and traffic was now moving normally.