Staff Reporter :
Hundreds of RMG workers in Gazipur have blocked the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway, demanding reinstatement in jobs and new recruitment.
They blocked the highway in the Bhogra Chowdhurybari area of the city around 8:30 am on Wednesday and held a protest march.
As a result, traffic was halted, causing huge inconvenience to passengers.
In response to the situation, at least 10 factories have declared a holiday. Around 8:30 on Wednesday morning, hundreds of workers gathered in the Bhogra area and blocked the highway, demanding jobs.
They then asked workers from other factories to join them at the factory gates.
When their calls were ignored, bricks were thrown in protest. In response, factories from Chandna Chowrasta to Bhogra were the first to be declared closed.
Gradually, holidays were announced for workers in factories along the Chandna Chowrasta to Joydebpur Road area. Many workers went home after the holiday was declared, while others joined the protest.
Between 8:30 am and 10:30 am, 10 factories in Gazipur, including Belmond, Techno Fiber Ltd., Interling, Euromic Tax Limited, and Rua Fashion, were reported to be on holiday.
Gazipur industrial area police superintendent Sarwar Alam told the media that several garment factory workers protested and blocked the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway with various demands, including employment.
Holidays were declared in 10-12 factories this morning. The industrial police arrived at the scene, spoke with the workers, and attempted to normalise the situation, he added.
Earlier, Workers of a garment factory have blocked the Nabinagar-Chandra highway in the industrial area of Ashulia today (30 September), demanding unpaid dues.
The workers of Birds Group started their demonstration around 9:30am by taking position at two points on the highway, in the Baipail area and in front of Mirpur DOHS.