Gazipur garment workers block highway over unpaid wages

Workers of a garment factory blocked the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway for around an hour this morning, demanding unpaid salaries for April.

More than 100 workers of BHIS Apparels Ltd began the demonstration at 9:10am, occupying the highway near Tongi's Hossain Market area.

They were dispersed around 10:30am, said Faridul Islam, officer-in-charge of Tongi East Police Station.

Tongi West Police Station OC Iskandar Habibur Rahman told The Daily Star that traffic on both sides of the busy highway came to a halt during the protest.

"The workers left the highway after the army arrived," he added.

The Industrial Police reported that approximately 1,300 workers work for BHIS Apparels Ltd, located in Dattapara, Tongi East.

"Discussions are on. We are trying to resolve the problem through discussions with the owner and the workers. Traffic has now returned to normal," Faridul said.

Attempts to contact the factory authorities on mobile phones in this regard were unsuccessful.