Staff Reporter :
Protests by ready-made garment workers in Gazipur turned violent on Monday, leading to clashes with locals and arson attack on factory- vehicles. At least five people were injured in the confrontation.
The unrest began in Panishail area of Gazipur after workers of Doreen Fashion Limited found their factory closed indefinitely upon arriving for work.
Simultaneously, workers from the nearby Beximco factory were also protesting over separate grievances.
As a result, vehicular movement on Chandra-Nabinagar highway in Gazipur remained suspended since Monday morning and the adjacent areas turned into a battle field as workers of two garment factories clashed with law enforcers over the payment of their dues.
Unruly workers set a vehicle on fire on the highway in addition to torching a factory in Savar, forcing the authorities to shut a number of factories in Savar and Gazipur areas.
In Gazipur, the workers of Beximco Industrial Park blocked Chandra-Nabinagar highway around 9 am demanding that their dues be cleared while the workers of Doreen garment factory took to the streets seeking reopening of the factory.
Quoting workers, Saiful Islam, officer-in-charge of Kashimpur Police Station, said the authorities of Beximco factory failed to clear the wages of the workers after the arrest of businessman and ex-PM Hasina’s adviser Salman F Rahman. The workers of Doreen factory got agitated and staged demonstrations on the highway after they found their factory closed in the morning.