Gazipur sweater factory workers block road protesting retrenchment

Workers of a sweater factory in Gazipur blocked the road protesting the factory authority’s decision to retrench workers.

Vehicular movement on the Dhaka-Tangail Highway remained halted for more than an hour on Wednesday morning as agitated workers blocked the road, UNB reports.

Rafiqul Islam of Basan Police Station said the workers of Diganta Sweater Factory have been demonstrating demanding an end to minimising workers from the factory.

On Wednesday morning, when the workers went to the factory they noticed some lights and machinery of different sections were broken. They alleged the authorities concerned vandalised them to falsely implicate workers.

Later, they demonstrated inside the factory and vandalised valuables.

They also blocked the Dhaka-Tangail Highway, disrupting vehicular movement on the busy road. At one stage, they brought out a procession and broke into the ‘Coast to Coast’ factory and carried out vandalism.

The window panes, computers, and machines were vandalised. The protesters also damaged 10 vehicles in the area.

Ten people, including a number of passers-by, were injured during the incident.

On information, police went to the spot and brought the situation under control.

Works at some factories were suspended as the authorities declared holiday for the day.

Additional police personnel have been deployed in the area to avert further trouble.