Workers of three NASSA factories halt traffic in Mohakhali over ‘unpaid wages’

Employees of three factories under NASSA Mainland take to the streets, alleging that salaries and allowances remain unpaid

Workers from three garment factories owned by NASSA Group have blocked a major road in Dhaka’s Mohakhali, demanding “overdue wages and benefits”.

The blockade effectively brought traffic on the road in front of the Mohakhali Bus Terminal to a standstill from Monday afternoon.

The protesters are employees of three factories operated by NASSA Mainland, an affiliate of NASSA Group.

The factories are: NASSA Knit, NASSA Apparels, Western Dresses.

Shortly after 4:15pm, workers from the factories gathered on the Mohakhali-Gulshan Link Road and the road in front of the bus terminal.

As a result, hundreds of vehicles were left stranded in both lanes of the road stretching from Mohakhali to Satrasta.

Imran Hossain, additional deputy commissioner of the Tejgaon Industrial Area Division, told bdnews24.com: “They are being made aware of the public suffering caused by the blockade. We are in contact with higher authorities.”

A worker, Sagir Hossain, said the factories had remained closed since Eid. When workers staged a protest on Jun 4, factory authorities promised to resolve the issue by Monday (Jun 8), he said.

However, as the promise was not fulfilled, workers returned to the streets.

The protesters said their salaries for May remain unpaid and that other allowances have also not been disbursed.

The factories have faced difficulties since the arrest of NASSA Group Chairman Nazrul Islam Mazumder, a former chairman of the Association of Bankers, Bangladesh (ABB), who was widely regarded as being close to the Awami League government.

He has remained in jail since his arrest following the government's fall during the 2024 uprising.