Over 50 clothing factories in the Gazipur regions of Chandana, Konabari, Bhogra, and Jarun have ceased operations as a result of the recent two weeks’ worker protests demanding an increase in the minimum wage.
Police and garment factory workers engaged in chases and counterchases on Thursday morning in the Naojor neighborhood of Gazipur as the latter group persisted in their protests.
International Trading Service Limited, Cotton Club (BD) Limited, Ripon Knitwear Limited, Kaizer Knitwear Limited, Islam Group of Industries Limited, Debonewar Limited, Orbitex Knitwear Limited, Mandal Fabrics Limited, and Montax Knitwear Limited are among the clothing companies that have closed.
At around nine in the morning, employees in the Chandana neighborhood began to demonstrate and cease work.
They eventually set up shop and lit a tire on fire along the Dhaka-Tangail highway in the Naojor area. Along the route that connects Naojor with the Bhanga Bridge region, they also destroyed several factories and threw stones at them.
They attempted to blockade the highway at one point by arranging logs.
Following the altercation, traffic on the Dhaka-Tangail highway was halted for an hour in the morning.
Subsequently, the municipal and Industrial Police intervened and brought the situation under control.
The Industrial Police claim that since October 23, laborers at clothing factories have staged protests in Kashimpur and Konabari, Gazipur, and other nearby localities, calling for wage increases.
Clashes during the final few days of the demonstration claimed the lives of two workers. Workers in Gazipur’s Chandana and Naojor neighborhoods stopped and destroyed highways in the morning, furious about the deaths.
After learning of the situation, the Basan police, Industrial Police, and RAB arrived on the scene and began pursuing the restless workers. They fired tear gas shells and rubber bullets at the protesters as the workers threw brickbats at law enforcement officers.
The situation was kept under control after workers began to demonstrate in the morning at a plant in the Chandna region, according to Gazipur Industrial Police Additional Superintendent of Police Imran Ahmed.
Nonetheless, the destruction was done by employees of a few local factories. He said, “They blocked the highway and set a tire on fire.”
