The blockade of the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway by garment workers has been lifted, allowing vehicular movement to return to normalcy late on Monday (11 November) at approximately 10:30pm, marking an end to almost 60 hours of disruption.
During the process of lifting the blockade, UNO facilitated a conversation between Labour Ministry Secretary KHM Shafiquzzaman and the workers via mobile phone, which was broadcast over loudspeakers.
Secretary Shafiquzzaman assured the workers that the government had assumed responsibility for settling their dues.
As a primary measure, the government has arranged for a payment of Tk6 crore to be made by the coming Sunday.
For the remaining dues, a resolution will be sought through a meeting between the Labour Ministry's advisor, the company chairman, and representatives of the workers.
The secretary further mentioned that, if necessary, the company's assets would be mortgaged to fulfil the payment obligations to the workers.
Earlier, at around 2pm, the workers had initially withdrawn their protest based on assurances provided by law enforcement and factory officials, including the Labour Secretary.
However, tensions escalated again at approximately 3:30pm, with the workers resuming their blockade of the highway, causing severe traffic congestion along the Dhaka-Mymensingh route.
The continuous blockade had persisted since the morning of Saturday (9 November), lasting for three consecutive days.
