Workers of a readymade garment factory barricaded a road on Thursday morning demanding payment of their dues, disrupting vehicular movement for around two hours in the Bakalia area of Chattogram port city.
Confirming the matter, Bakalia police station Officer-in-Charge Abdur Rahim said the workers of Dips Apparels Ltd gathered at Shah Amanat Bridge of Bakalia from 8am to 10am. The police later showed up and dispersed them peacefully.
Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) are in talks with the protesting workers now to reach a sensible solution, the OC added.
Jafar Alam, a worker of that factory, told The Business Post, “The factory authority gave no prior notice about the closure. We came to work in the morning and found a closure notice hung on the main gate.
“The factory authorities did not pay the workers in the last five months. This chain of events prompted the workers to stage the demonstration.”
Vehicular movement stretching from Shah Amanat Bridge to Marine Drive and New Chaktai Road remained halted for two hours, causing a long tailback.
Selim Newaz, assistant superintendent of Chattogram Industrial Police, said the factory owner claimed that there is no work order at the factory now and the owner is struggling to pay the wages of 600 workers of his factory.
The owner also decided to stop the production of the factory.
