DHAKA: Workers from six garment factories blocked the Dhaka-Tangail highway in Kaliakair, Gazipur, Thursday morning (Nov 12), demanding a wage increase.
Inspector Monzur Morshed of Naojor Highway Police said around 2,000 workers blocked the highway at Mouchak Top Stand and Dokanpar areas in Safipur of Kaliakair upazila (sub-district) around 9:20am, bringing traffic to a halt.
The factories involved in the protest are Lavender, Bay Footwear, Purbani, Logic, ATS and Libas, he said.
A worker, wishing to remain anonymous, said, "The movement demanding a wage increase is ongoing. We have heard that wages will be increased, but that has not happened yet. There is no certainty about when it will happen either. The workers have only one demand: the movement will continue until wages are increased."
Members of the industrial police and Border Guard Bangladesh were patrolling the area to maintain law and order.
The garment sector has witnessed more than a week of protests, with workers demanding a minimum monthly wage of Tk30,000 (US$238).
Amid the unrest, workers’ representatives proposed raising the minimum monthly wage from Tk 12,500 to Tk 32,000 at a Minimum Wages Board meeting on November 9. Factory owners were given four working days to submit their counter-proposal.
The demonstrations have forced hundreds of factories to shut down, disrupting production and raising concerns over export shipments. - Daily Star/ANN
