Garment workers clear Kuril Bishwa Road after four hours

After extended discussions, the workers received assurances regarding their unpaid wages and ended the protest

Garment factory workers have cleared Kuril Bishwa Road after a four-hour blockade.

They ended their protest around 4pm on Wednesday after they received assurances of receiving their backpay and other payments, police said.

Around noon, employees at the Eurozone Fashion Garments factory took to the streets to demand their unpaid wages and other allowances. They took up positions on the Kuril Bishwa Road in Badda, blocking traffic on both sides of the road.

The impact of the blockade could also be seen on the flyover.

Rakibul Hasan, chief of Vatara Police Station, said: “After an extended discussion, they (the workers) received assurances and left the road around 4pm.”

In addition to the owners, there had been talks with the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association regarding the backpay before assurances were made, he said.

Though the protesters had cleared the road, the protest’s impact on the traffic could still be seen around 5:30pm.

The protest had left commuters stranded in vehicles for hours under intense heat. Many passengers were forced to abandon cars and rickshaws and walk to their destinations, while parents collecting children after school were caught in the chaos.