Published : 12 Nov 2026, 01:42 PM
Updated : 12 Nov 2026, 01:42 PM
Garment workers in Gazipur have again taken to the streets demanding a minimum wage of Tk 30,000.
Workers from several factories skipped work and occupied the Dhaka-Tangail Highway at Mouchak in Kaliakair Upazila around 9am on Thursday.
Law enforcers fired stun grenades and chased them off, fearing the situation could escalate out of control.
The blockade halted traffic on the highway for about an hour before it resumed.
Shahidul Islam, chief of Kaliakair Police Station, said the workers have been cleared from the road and vehicles are moving again. “But traffic is at a crawl and the congestion has not fully cleared up.”
Witnesses said workers from several Mouchak factories reported for duty on Thursday morning but began protesting for the Tk 30,000 minimum wage instead of working.
After a factory declared a holiday, workers poured out and occupied the highway, stopping traffic.
Authorities at Mouchak and several nearby factories later declared holidays over security concerns.
Police and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) members went to the spot on a tip-off, fired stun grenades and chased the workers off the road.
Md Amjad Hossain, superintendent of Gazipur Industrial Police, said a group of workers held the highway for 30 to 40 minutes before being cleared with stun grenades.
“Workers from the Palli Bidyut area also took position on the highway and were persuaded to leave. Workers in Jorun tried to do the same, but left on their own.”
Eight to nine factories in total have declared holidays, he added.
