Unrest has once again gripped Gazipur’s industrial zones, with workers staging protests over unpaid wages and various other demands.
Workers gathered in several areas, including Gazipur’s Tongi police station jurisdiction, Gazipura, Sadar’s Bagher Bazar, and the Konabari BSCIC industrial area at around 10:30am on Wednesday (13 November).
They blocked the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway, disrupting traffic and causing significant gridlock.
The protests were triggered by the workers of Tara Textile Limited, located on Naimuddin Molla Road in the Auchpara area of Tongi.
Nearly 2,000 workers had not received their October wages and had repeatedly requested the factory owner for resolution.
In response, they initiated a work stoppage at the factory, later escalating their protests by blocking the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway.
In addition to this, workers at a garment factory in Bagher Bazar in Gazipur Sadar also went on strike, demanding both unpaid wages and attendance bonuses.
Meanwhile, workers at two factories in the Konabari BSCIC industrial area also joined the protest, refusing to return to work and continuing their industrial action.
Gazipur’s Industrial Police Superintendent Sarwar Alam said the workers had blocked the highway and that efforts were underway to resolve the situation through negotiations.
The latest unrest follows a similar episode on 5th November in Gazipur’s Konabari area, where workers from six factories under the Tushoka and Islam groups staged protests over unpaid wages and a series of demands.
As a result, these factories were shut down indefinitely, and over 300 workers were laid off.
Most recently, on 9 November, workers at TNZ Apparels Limited in Malek’s Bari area of Gazipur staged a three-day protest, blocking the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway and demanding three months’ worth of unpaid salaries.
The ongoing wave of protests highlights the severe economic pressures faced by the workers, whose demands remain unmet despite repeated attempts for dialogue.
