A fresh round of protests erupted on Wednesday when apparel workers of Tech Tex Company Ltd blocked the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway at Maleker Bari area in Gazipur.
Agitating workers of the factory said they returned to work after the factory reopened on Sunday, but the factory authorities barred workers, who were working there for less than a year, claiming that they were laid off.
This led to all the workers abandoning their work and protest in front of the factory, at one point by blocking the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway for 2:30 hours.
After police mediated with Tech Tex's owners and announced no workers will be laid off, the workers withdrew the blockade and returned to work.
Despite repeated attempts, the owners of Tech Tex could not be reached for comments.
Apparel workers of at least 258 factories out of 2,072 are yet to receive their wages in Gazipur as of April 28, causing workers to continue protesting for the arrears.
Additional Superintendent of Gazipur Industrial Police Siddiqur Rahman said out of the 258, 40 were Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) member factories, 27 from Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA), 11 from Bangladesh Textile Mills Association (BTMA), and 180 others.
Sushanta Sarker, additional SP of Gazipur Industrial Police, said factory owners were reluctant to pay the workers their due wages, causing the latter to take to the streets.
Protests in Savar as well
Workers of two garments factories on Wednesday blocked roads in Ashulia demanding due wages.
The workers of World One Denim Ltd at Shimultala area and A-One factory at Dhaka Export Processing Zone (DEPZ) protested, both demanding payment of arrears.
Factory workers and police sources informed, workers of World One Denim Ltd have been gathering in front of the closed factory for a few days to demand their due wages.
Getting no response from the factory owners, the workers blocked the Abdullahpur-Bypail highway at 10am on Wednesday.
Later, industrial police chased them away from the roads.
Workers of A-One factory protested in front of DEPZ demanding their due salary for the last four months.
