Bangladesh: Garment workers block highway, set police box on fire to demand higher wages

Dhaka, Nov 1 (IANS) Garment workers blocked the Dhaka-Tangail highway in Bangladesh's Gazipur and set a police box in Konabari on fire in protest on Sunday to demand a minimum monthly salary of Tk 30,000, local media reported. Five platoons of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) were deployed to control the situation during the protest. Workers blocked the Dhaka-Tangail highway at 9.30 am, bringing traffic to a standstill. Workers shouting slogans demanding higher wages blocked the highway by taking posts at different points, including Mouchak, Chandra Polli Bidyut, Safipur Bazar, and Telichala in Kaliakair upazila. Workers from various factories participated in the protest, which resulted in the suspension of operations at factories, the Dhaka Tribune reported. Iftekhar Hossain, officer-in-charge of Konabari police station, said protesters set fire to a police box at the Dhaka-Tangail highway in the Konabari area. Shahidul Islam, officer-in-charge of Kaliakair police station, said that movement of traffic remained disrupted as workers continued to block the highway, Dhaka Tribune reported. Custom Ad: Multiplex Meanwhile, over 50 garment factories in Ashulia announced a holiday on Sunday after protests by workers to demand a minimum monthly wage of Tk 30,000, an end to blacklisting and other demands, The Daily Star reported, citing industrial police. Garment workers from several factories stopped work and gathered on the Abdullahpur-Baipail road in the Narsinghpur area to demand higher wages. On Saturday, workers from various garment factories held protests in Ashulia, demanding a minimum monthly wage of Tk30,000, an end to blacklisting and other benefits. At least 11 factories announced closure in Kathgara and other areas, Dhaka Tribune reported. Ashulia Industrial Police-1 Superintendent Mohammad Mominul Islam Bhuiyan said that a police personnel was injured after he was hit by bricks and stones thrown by protesters. Clashes erupted between the workers and police as protesters threw bricks and stones at nearby factories, injuring a police officer. An official of a garment factory in Kathgara Amtala area, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the majority of the factories in the area had announced holidays. --IANS akl/vd