RMG workers' unrest in Gazipur

Workers of a few garment factories in Gazipur demonstrated for arrears and a hike in their allowance on Saturday.

Police used baton-charges and lobbed tear-gas canisters to disperse them.

Witnesses said at least 40 people were injured in the clashes at Gazipur's Najor and Konabari areas.

Workers of 'DotCom Sweaters' at Naojor area started to damage the factory in the morning after not getting paid their October salary due on Thursday.

The factory's production manager Emdad Hossain said that the police intervened to bring the situation under control.

He said that the factory has been closed temporarily.

Md Jahid, a worker of the factory told bdnews24.com that the workers got agitated after finding a closure notice on Saturday.

The demonstration started around 9am.

Agitated workers blocked the Dhaka-Tangail highway with burning tyres and hurled brickbats at vehicles, according to witnesses.

Joydebpur Police Station OC SM Kamruzzaman said they resorted to baton-charges, fired rubber bullets and lobbed tear-gas canisters to disperse the workers.

Witnesses said at least 15 were injured in the clash.

Meanwhile, garment factory workers at Konabari started to protest around 8.30am demanding a higher minimum monthly wage.

Authorities of the factories had to declare their units shut for the day following the protest.

The protesting workers subsequently blocked the Dhaka-Tangail highway when the police baton charged and fired rubber-bullets to disperse them.

At least 25 people were injured, according to witnesses and police.

Traffic on the highway resumed around 11am after being stopped for two hours, said Konabari Highway Police Station OC Md Alamgir Sarker.