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GAZIPUR: Garment factory workers staged fresh demonstrations in several areas of Gazipur on Sunday, demanding a minimum monthly wage of Tk 30,000, blocking the Dhaka-Tangail highway and setting fire to a police box in Konabari.
Traffic on the highway has remained suspended since Sunday morning due to the protests and road blockades. Five platoons of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) personnel have been deployed to maintain law and order.
Workers took to the streets in Shafipur Bazar, Chandra Palli Bidyut, Mouchak and Telichala areas of Kaliakair upazila from the morning, chanting slogans demanding higher wages.
Officer-in-Charge of Kaliakair Police Station Shahidul Islam said workers had occupied the highway since morning, bringing traffic to a standstill.
Gazipur Deputy Commissioner Md Nurul Karim Bhuiya said five BGB platoons had been deployed in view of the situation. The number of personnel would be increased if necessary, he added.
According to factory workers and police sources, garment workers have been protesting in different parts of Gazipur for nearly two weeks over their demand for higher wages.
On Saturday, workers blocked the highway at Chandra Palli Bidyut and near Gate No. 3 of the Ansar Academy in Kaliakair until around 8:30pm. Police later dispersed them by firing tear gas shells and baton-charging the protesters.
Traffic on the highway resumed after nearly five hours.
On Sunday morning, workers from several factories, including Karni Knit Composite and Knit Asia in Ratanpur, Kaliakair, refused to join work and gathered on the highway in the Shafipur Bazar area. They began protesting after marking their attendance at their respective factories.
Several nearby factories announced holidays due to the workers’ demonstrations.
Hundreds of workers later took positions at different points along the highway, carrying sticks and bringing traffic on the Dhaka-Tangail highway to a complete halt. Commuters using the route faced severe difficulties.
In Konabari area of Gazipur metropolitan city, agitated workers set fire to a police box located in the middle of the highway. They also took equipment and other belongings out of the police box and set those on fire, said Konabari Police Station OC Iftekhar Hossain.
