12 factories closed in Gazipur amid labour unrest

The situation in Gazipur's garment factories remained tense this morning as the authorities closed 12 factories in the Sadar area to restore order. 

Mosharraf Hossain, assistant superintendent of Gazipur Industrial Police, told The Daily Star that while the situation in Tongi had stabilised, conditions in Gazipur were not similar. 

Most factories in the Gazipur industrial area remained open as of noon today. However, protests erupted on the Basan regional road, leading to unrest.

Also, garment workers in the Chandra area of Kaliakair upazila blocked the highway, demanding unpaid wages and the reopening of factories.

The industrial police and army later arrived and spoke with the protesters to leave the highway by noon.

Around 10:00am, workers of Niagara Group staged a protest outside the factory, demanding payment of their August wages and the reopening of the closed factory. 

They later blocked the Dhaka-Tangail highway for two hours, and as a result traffic on both lanes of the highway came to a standstill.

"The factory has been shut down without paying us for August," said one worker. "It's now October—how are we supposed to pay rent? In a few days, the landlord will demand it."

Inspector Nitai Chandra Sarkar of Gazipur Industrial Police (Kaliakair Zone) confirmed that workers had cleared the highway by noon. Traffic had been disrupted from 10:00 am till noon but was now fully restored.

Sarwar Alam, superintendent of police for the Gazipur Industrial Area, said workers from several garment factories protested and blocked the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway over various demands, including unpaid wages. 

"Authorities declared holidays in around 10 to 12 factories earlier in the day. The industrial police have been working on the ground to negotiate with the workers and calm the situation," Alam said.