Garment workers block road at Ashulia for six hours

Workers of a garment factory blocked the Bishmail-Jirabo road at Amtola in Ashulia of Savar for six hours on Sunday, demanding their outstanding salaries.

According to Industrial Police-1 Superintendent of Police Md Mominul Islam Bhuiyan, the workers staged the protest from morning until 3:00 pm, disrupting traffic movement in the area.

 “We attempted to contact the factory owner, but they are currently out of the country. We have also informed the BGMEA [Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association]. After the workers received assurances from either the owner or BGMEA and then they withdrew the blockade, and traffic returned to normal,” he said.

Tarequl Islam, the marketing and merchandising director of the factory, said that the workers' salaries were paid regularly in the past.

However, due to financial constraints, there has been a delay in disbursing wages.

Workers, including Maleka Akhtar and Suhel Hossain, said their January salaries were supposed to be paid in the first week of February.

Since their wages remained unpaid, they started protesting on February 9.

The workers found the factory closed upon arrival in the morning and blocked the road in front of the factory, they said.