Workers of a garment factory in Tongi’s Hossain Market area staged a demonstration on Sunday morning, demanding the payment of their February wages and Eid bonuses.
The protest led to a blockade on the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway, causing severe traffic congestion and disruption for commuters.
The protest began at 7am on Sunday (23 March) when workers of BHIIS Apparels Ltd took to the streets, demanding their overdue wages.
Despite multiple promises from the factory management, their salaries had not been disbursed, exacerbating tensions among the workforce.
Factory authorities had also announced a sudden closure on 11 March without clearing outstanding dues, prompting previous demonstrations that were later subdued by law enforcement.
Following Sunday’s protest, industrial police and local law enforcement, accompanied by military personnel, intervened, persuading workers to relocate their demonstration in front of the factory premises.
By 8:30am, traffic on the highway resumed normal operations.
According to industrial police and worker representatives, the factory authorities had committed to paying salaries by 20 March.
However, out of 1,500 employees, only 1,250 received payments.
On Saturday, disgruntled workers declared they would no longer work without their full wages, prompting the factory management to enforce a "No Work, No Pay" policy and announce a shutdown.
Inspector Md Ismail Hossain of Gazipur Industrial Police stated, “The workers had protested earlier over unpaid wages, and we mediated an agreement that salaries would be cleared by 20 March. Although most workers were paid, a portion remained unpaid. When they refused to work yesterday, the factory declared closure. Today’s protest was a result of that decision. We have now resumed discussions between the workers and the management.”
With workers facing financial distress ahead of Eid, tensions remain high, and authorities continue to mediate discussions to reach a resolution.
