Garment workers blockaded Dhaka-Narayanganj Link Road for around four hours on Monday demanding a minimum monthly wage of Tk30,000, causing severe disruption to traffic and extreme suffering to general commuters.
To bring the situation under control, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) members were deployed alongside the police, with police armoured vehicles and water cannon trucks kept ready on the road.
Vehicular movement began returning to normal after 5pm as the protesting workers started moving away from the road.
According to sources, workers from several garment factories in Fatullah began protesting at around 11:30am on Monday. Half an hour later, they occupied Dhaka-Narayanganj Link Road and staged a blockade.
At around 2:30pm, a face-to-face standoff developed between the protesting workers and members of the police and BGB in Bhuigarh area of the road.
However, a sudden rain shower caused the workers to disperse, allowing vehicular movement to resume briefly after about 30 minutes of rain. Later, workers gathered again in Shibu Market area, bringing traffic movement to a halt once more.
Demanding a livable wage, the workers said, “We must be paid a wage we can survive on. We want money for our work. Living costs in the city are high.”
“If our wages are not increased, then reduce the prices of gas, electricity, and essential commodities; otherwise, our salary must be raised to Tk30,000. Or else we will not stop our movement,” they added.
During the protest, the workers also voiced their outrage over the casualties during worker demonstrations in Dhaka and Gazipur, and chanted various slogans demanding resignation of Mohammad Hatem, president of Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA).
Speaking from the scene, the additional superintendent of police (Crime) of District Police said several hundred workers from a few factories took to the street and put up a blockade demanding a minimum wage increase, disrupting traffic movement.
Police and BGB members were seen in alert positions to keep the situation under control, with police armoured vehicles and water cannons kept ready on the road.
Addressing the protesting workers at the location, District Superintendent of Police Habibur Rahman said, “No one should behave chaotically. The government is working regarding you. A decision concerning your matter will come.”
Even at that time, the workers reiterated their demand for a wage hike in accordance with their demands.
Narayanganj-2 lawmaker Nazrul Islam Azad, Deputy Commissioner Md Raihan Kabir, and Member Secretary of Narayanganj City BNP Advocate Abu Al Yousuf Khan Tipu were also present at the scene.
