Protesting Beximco workers clear highway after 6 hours

Workers say factory authorities did not meet them despite making promises to fix a date for the payment of their unpaid salaries

Law-enforcing agencies have removed workers of Beximco Industrial Park, who had been blocking the Dhaka-Tangail highway, pressing for overdue wages.

The workers present at the Chakrabarty intersection of the highway began their protest around 8am on Wednesday.

Around 9am, Sub-Inspector Manjurul Islam told bdnews24.com: “Beximco factory workers have been protesting by blocking the road since morning. Traffic is normal on the alternative route.”

Police and army personnel were able to persuade the workers to clear the Chandra-Nabinagar highway around 1:45pm, said Saiful Islam, the chief of Kashempur Police Station.

Meanwhile, protesters claim that factory authorities had promised to meet with them to set a date for the payment of their outstanding salaries for the month of October.

However, the workers said that they had decided to continue their protest as the factory authorities had failed to meet with them despite giving their word.

Attempts to contact representatives from Beximco Industrial Park for comment were unsuccessful.

According to the industrial police, as many as 41,000 employees work at the garment and ceramic factories at Beximco Industrial Park.

Meanwhile, RMG factory workers have been at the forefront of the protests, blocking the roads for over a week pressing for the unpaid wages.