The ongoing unrest in Gazipur's ready-made garment (RMG) sector escalated on Wednesday, as workers from four garment factories took to the streets, blocking two major highways in protest over unpaid wages, retrenchments and factory closures.
At around 9 AM, workers from the Taratex Limited factory in Tongi blocked the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway, demanding overdue wages. Police, supported by army personnel, arrived at the scene and successfully cleared the road after about an hour of disruption.
Meanwhile, workers of MM Knitwear Limited in the Konabari area also staged a protest, abstaining from work in response to the retrenchment of several workers, allegedly due to their involvement in previous protests. Police quickly intervened to manage the situation, with two individuals—Md. Azizur Rahman, the factory's security in-charge, and police constable Nahid Hossain—sustaining injuries during the attempted removal of protestors from the highway.
In a separate incident in Kashimpur's Sarabo area, workers from Beximco Industrial Park blocked the Kaliakair-Nabinagar highway from 11:30 am to 4 pm, further intensifying the unrest. Law enforcement maintained heightened vigilance to prevent additional disruptions as factory management entered negotiations with workers' representatives to address the ongoing grievances.
The protests highlight the growing frustration among workers over delayed payments and job insecurity, with calls for the reopening of closed factories and a resolution to their financial issues.
