Workers block Dhaka-Tangail highway with burning waste in Gazipur

Garment workers blocked the Dhaka-Tangail Highway in Gazipur on Tuesday morning by setting fire to piles of waste on the road, bringing traffic to a halt between Joydebpur Chowrasta and Naojor intersection.

The protest began at around 9:30am in front of Diganta Sweater factory in the Naojor area.

According to eyewitnesses and media reports, workers collected rubbish and waste from the roadside, piled it up on the highway and set it on fire, obstructing vehicular movement. Even auto-rickshaws and motorcycles were not allowed to pass. At one point, several workers were seen playing cricket on the road.

Journalists who went to the scene to cover the protest also faced obstruction. Several reports said workers prevented them from speaking to protesters and taking photographs and videos.

Earlier, shortly before 8am, a group of workers attempted to block the highway in the Mouchak area of Kaliakair. Gazipur Industrial Police Superintendent Mohammad Amzad Hossain said law enforcement personnel persuaded the workers to leave the road without any clashes. He also said security personnel had been placed on alert at several key points along the highway.

Meanwhile, garment workers have been staging protests for several days in different industrial areas of Gazipur, demanding, among other things, a minimum monthly wage of Tk 30,000. The movement has spread to Chandra, Palli Bidyut, Mouchak, Safipur and Konabari.

Industrial Police said 12 factories in Gazipur declared holidays on Tuesday amid the labour unrest.