Protest sparks as RMG factory shut down

Narayanganj Correspondent :

Workers in Siddhirganj, Narayanganj blocked the Dhaka-Chattogram Highway in protest after a garment factory was shut down without clearing their due wages and bonuses. The protest took place around 11 AM on Tuesday in the Madaninagar area, on the Dhaka-bound lane of the highway. Workers from AST Garments staged the demonstration, which halted traffic for nearly half an hour.
Upon receiving the news, police from Siddhirganj Police Station and the Highway Police arrived on the scene and managed to convince the protesters to leave the highway. Traffic movement resumed shortly after the protesters leave the highway.
According to the protesting workers, around 250 people were employed at AST Garments. The factory management had promised to pay three to four months of pending wages and bonuses after Eid, and granted the workers leave before the holiday. However, when the workers returned after Eid, they found the factory locked up.
After trying to reach out, they discovered that the owners had fled overnight, taking away all machinery and materials under the cover of darkness. In response, the workers took to the highway to demand their unpaid wages.
Efforts to contact the factory owner, Md. Atikur Rahman, were unsuccessful. Multiple attempts to reach the factory’s production manager, Mizanur Rahman, by phone also went unanswered.
Siddhirganj Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Mohammad Shahinur Alam stated that they managed to peacefully remove the workers from the highway and that traffic is now normal. He also mentioned that they are trying to get in touch with the factory owners.
“If any worker files an official complaint, we will take legal action,” he added.