Garment workers stage protest in Rampura over five-point demands

Hundreds of garment workers blocked a key Dhaka road for over an hour on Monday afternoon (June 8), protesting the abrupt dismissal of 147 colleagues without notice or dues by a readymade garment factory in the capital.

Workers of Texas Dresses Limited took position in front of the Bangladesh Television (BTV) building in Rampura around this midday, bringing one side of the busy Malibagh-Rampura-Badda corridor to a complete standstill and triggering severe traffic congestion in sweltering heat.

Agitating workers alleged that the factory management terminated 147 employees in violation of the Bangladesh Labour Act — without prior notice, without clearing outstanding dues, and without following mandatory legal procedures.

"We had no choice but to take to the streets," workers said, asserting that all standard norms had been bypassed in the layoffs.

The protesters presented a five-point charter of demands: reinstatement of all dismissed workers; an end to harassment; restoration of previous factory operating conditions; guaranteed workplace safety; and security of employment for the remaining workforce.

Deputy Commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police's Motijheel Division, Harun-or-Rashid, confirmed that officers held talks with the demonstrators and cleared them from the road. Worker representatives subsequently proceeded to the Department of Labour for further negotiations.

"Traffic was disrupted for approximately one hour. The situation is now normal and vehicles are moving freely on the Rampura road," he said.