JMl syringe factory workers intensify protest, block Dhaka-Chattogram highway

Workers of the country's only JMI Syringe Manufacturing Plant in Cumilla's Chauddagram intensified their protest on Thursday (July 30), entering the fourth consecutive day of demonstrations by staging a work stoppage and blocking a section of the Dhaka-Chattogram Highway to press home their seven-point demand.

The workers began gathering in front of the factory in the Noapara-Rajendrapur area in the morning before marching onto the Chattogram-bound carriageway of the highway, disrupting vehicular movement for several hours.

The demonstration is being led by Kazi Milon Hazari, president of the JMI Syringe Factory Workers' Welfare Federation.

Mohammad Arif Hossain, officer-in-charge (OC) of Chauddagram Model Police Station, said, "Police were deployed at the scene immediately after receiving information about the protest. Law enforcement personnel are monitoring the situation to maintain order and ensure public safety."

According to the protesting workers, they had submitted a 13-point charter of demands to the factory authorities following the 2024 mass uprising. At the time, the management allegedly assured them that the demands would be implemented within six months, prompting them to suspend their movement.

However, workers claim that more than two years later, only a few minor issues have been addressed, while the major demands remain unresolved. Frustrated by the lack of progress, they resumed their movement on Monday with a revised seven-point demand, including improvements in wages, benefits and workplace conditions.

The latest blockade has added pressure on one of the country's busiest highways, while no immediate breakthrough in negotiations had been reported at the time of filing this report.