Garment factory workers block Dhaka street for back pay

Workers of a readymade garment factory have blocked Pragati Sarani street in Dhaka’s Moddhyo Badda for one and a half hours demanding payment of wages and allowances long overdue.

The demonstration by Star Garments workers on both sides of the key street from 4:30pm on Friday created gridlocks in the area.

Commuters suffered as the traffic jam spread amidst a heat wave before Iftar even though there were fewer vehicles than usual because of the weekly holiday.

The owners of Star Garments shut the factory down in April, promising the workers to pay up the dues in May, according to Mohammad Ali, one of the protesting workers.

“We had been told that we would be paid at United Garment Workers Federation office at Mohakhali on Friday morning. We waited, but none of the owners showed up. We were compelled to take to the streets,” Ali said.

About 800 people worked at different sections of the factory and they have yet to be paid three months of wages and allowances, the protester said.

Sergeant Mahbubur Rahman of Dhaka Metropolitan Police told bdnews24.com at the site that the workers left the street when the owners promised them to pay later in the day after police contacted the owners.