12 garment factories reopen in Gazipur

Twelve garment factories in Gazipur were reopened today after a brief suspension.

Authorities declared a holiday for these factories yesterday in the Gazipur Sadar area to restore stability amid growing labour unrest.

Assistant Superintendent of Gazipur Industrial Police Mosharraf Hossain told The Daily Star at 11:00am that the factories have resumed operations, and the industrial areas including Tongi are stable as employees have been working since the morning, our Gazipur correspondent reports. 

Most factories in the Gazipur industrial area were operating until noon yesterday but unrest broke out on the Basan regional road when job seekers protested, and the situation escalated.

On-site observations today revealed that the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway remained largely empty since morning. Traffic increased briefly due to rain but returned to normal soon after. 

Commuters faced significant disruptions during last week's labour movement on the highway.

Industrial Police Inspector Suman Miah from the Sreepur Bagher Bazar zone and Bayezid Miah, in-charge of the Bhogra area, told The Daily Star that the highway and surrounding areas are currently calm.

However, Industrial Police reported that workers from another garment factory were protesting on the Nabinagar-Chandra highway in Jirani Bazar, Kaliakair, demanding unpaid wages.