Workers of Alema Textile Limited in Gazipur staged a protest on Monday morning (17 March), blocking both the Dhaka-Mymensingh and Dhaka-Tangail highways to demand overdue salaries and protest irregular wage payments.
The demonstration commenced at approximately 8:30am near the Bhogra Bypass, leading to severe traffic congestion in the area.
Upon receiving reports of the blockade, the army, metropolitan police, and industrial police were deployed to the scene.
Law enforcement officials engaged with the protesters and successfully persuaded them to disperse, allowing traffic to resume after about 30 minutes.
Workers alleged that they had not received salaries for up to three months, with wages often being paid in instalments rather than in full.
Gazipur Industrial Police Superintendent AKM Zahirul Islam stated, "Workers of a garment factory briefly blocked the highway in the Bhogra area. Later, we were able to persuade them to move off the road, and traffic resumed."
He added that law enforcement remains vigilant ahead of Eid to address workers' concerns while ensuring that public movement on the roads is not disrupted.
