On Saturday from 7:00am, workers of the Giant Knit garment factory in Gazipur took to the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway, protesting for their annual leave and bonuses.
Around 2,000 workers staged demonstrations and blocked the road in the Bypass and Joydebpur Chourasta areas, halting traffic in both directions from 7:00am to 9:00am.
At 9:15am, police convinced the workers to clear the road temporarily and restored traffic flow, said on-duty Traffic Police Sub-Inspector Abdullah Al Mamun.
Workers claimed they started the protest after seeing a factory closure notice on Saturday morning. Despite multiple attempts to negotiate with the authorities regarding leave and bonuses, they found no resolution.
Gazipur Industrial Police Sub-Inspector (SI) Faruk Hossain said that workers had already protested on Thursday over leave and bonus payments. In response, the factory authorities issued a closure notice under section 13/1. Upon seeing the notice, workers first protested in front of the factory, then moved to the highway, blocking traffic. Police arrived at the scene, discussed the issue with the workers, and assured them that their demands would be addressed, leading the workers to relocate their protest back in front of the factory.
Protesting workers said: "We are struggling to survive with our families. Eid is approaching, but we still have no guarantee of leave or bonuses. The factory must reopen immediately, and our dues must be cleared."
Attempts to reach the factory authorities for comments were unsuccessful. However, the Industrial Police said: "We are working on the workers' demands and trying to resolve the issue as soon as possible."
