Workers of a garment factory in Narayanganj today blocked Dhaka-Sylhet and Dhaka-Chattogram highways for six hours, demanding salaries and other arrears.

Thousands of RMG workers of Opex and Sinha Group gathered at Kanchpur in Sonargaon upazila around 10:00am amid "strict lockdown" -- blocking the two highways, our Narayanganj correspondent reported quoting Officer-in-Charge of Kanchpur Highway Police Station Moniruzzaman.

The blockade caused a 15km tailback on Dhaka-Chattogram highway and a 5km congestion on Dhaka-Sylhet highway.

Vehicles carrying goods as well as patients on the highways were seen stuck.

On information, industrial police rushed to the spot and tried to convince the workers.

Later, Executive Magistrate and Sonargaon UNO Atiqul Islam visited the workers and informed them that he talked to the authorities of the garment factory who promised to clear their due salaries on July 13.

When some of the workers tried to raise questions, police apparently chased them away and freed the highways.  

According to the Bangla daily Prothom Alo, the workers claimed that they are not getting salaries for the last four months.

The workers also alleged of irregularities in the factory. The garment factory is closed at present.