Ready-made garments factory workers turned violent on the Dhaka-Tangail highway alleging 'obstruction’ while trying to join a rally in the capital.
Published : 21 Sep 2013, 12:27 PM
The unrest led to a shutdown of nearly 50 factories around Gazipur, the Industrial Police said on Saturday.
Garments Sromik Somonnoy Parishad, a RMG workers’ organization has called a rally on Saturday in Dhaka demanding Tk 8,000 as minimum wage.
Shipping minister Shahjahan Khan is scheduled to attend the rally.
Workers of different factories say that they were not given leave to attend the rally.
Witnesses said workers of three factories of Chandra area and one factory of Mouchak area of Gazipur’s Kaliyakoir upazila, took the streets around 8.30am.
Afterwards, they blocked the Dhaka-Tangail highway and workers from other factories joined them.
Quite a few vehicles were damaged.
A bank and a Singer showroom at Shafipur area were vandalised.
Kaliyakoir Police station OC Omar Faruk said the protestors hurled stones at factories, whose workers had not joined them.
The police managed to persuade the workers to leave the highway at around 11.30am, after which the traffic resumed, Faruk said.
ASP of Gazipur Industrial Police, Md Mosharof Hossain told bdnews24.com more than 50 factory managements of Board Bazaar, Konabari, Vogra and Telipara area of Gazipur, closed down their factories during the unrest.