Home
+
Published : 18 Mar 2025, 05:25 PM
Workers at a food manufacturing factory in Gazipur city have staged a demonstration on the Dhaka-Mymensingh Highway, demanding overdue wages and holiday bonuses ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr.
The demonstration, led by employees of Fu-wang Foods Ltd in the city's Hotapara area, caused significant traffic disruptions and distress for commuters on Tuesday.
According to the police, the workers occupied the road from 9:00am to 9:45am before dispersing upon receiving assurances from authorities that their demands would be addressed.
Factory employees said that salary disputes with management have become a routine occurrence in the lead-up to Eid each year.
This time, they claim, wages for January and February remain unpaid, and bonuses have yet to be disbursed.
According to the workers, nearly 450 employees work in three shifts at the factory.
Production at the factory was halted around 9am as workers gathered in front of the plant before moving to the highway in protest.
The blockade led to a traffic backlog in both directions.
Police, industrial security forces, and army personnel arrived at the scene shortly after the protest began.
After negotiations with factory management, law-enforcing agencies told the workers that their demands would be met.
The workers then cleared the highway and took a stand inside the factory.
By 9:50am, traffic had returned to normal flow.
The employees said that authorities had promised to disburse their salaries and bonuses by the end of the day.
Afterwards, factory workers staged a sit-in inside factory premises, refusing to leave until their dues were paid.
“The joint force members are in discussions with the factory’s senior officials to ensure that all outstanding payments, including Eid bonuses, are settled today,” said Gazipur Industrial Police Inspector Abdul Latif.
Factory representatives, however, disputed the workers’ claims.
Mukit Hossain, an official at Fu-wang Foods Ltd’s human resources and administration department, said that only February’s wages were pending and that payments had already begun on Monday afternoon.
“Due to the volume of funds involved, some salaries were still unpaid overnight, but we will resume payments once we secure additional cash from the bank,” he said.
