Mirpur garment workers' road blockade over wage demand turns to vandalism at markets and a factory, police promise action from CCTV footage

Garment workers blocked roads in the capital's Mirpur from morning until noon on Saturday demanding a minimum monthly wage of Tk 30,000. Their blockades at Mirpur-10, 11 and 12 and other areas brought traffic to a halt.

Police and local sources said the workers' protest began at around 10:30am on Saturday with a road blockade at the Mirpur-10 roundabout. Later, workers from various garment factories took positions on roads in the Mirpur-11, Mirpur-12 and Prashika Mor areas.

With traffic stopped in those areas, working people and passengers heading to various destinations suffered.

A garment worker named Dilruba said it has become difficult for them to survive in Dhaka with their families. They were forced to take to the movement. If the minimum wage is increased, they will be able to survive somehow.

In the afternoon, the workers moved from the Mirpur-10 roundabout and gathered in the Shah Ali area of Mirpur-1. At around 2:05pm, protesting workers clashed with security staff of Himalaya Garments under Shah Ali police station. At one point, workers vandalised the factory. Vandalism also took place at the adjacent Baghdad Shopping Complex.

According to police, workers who had taken position at Baghdad Shopping Complex first scuffled with shopkeepers. The workers then phoned other workers at Mirpur-10 and asked them to come there. Around 300 to 400 workers then arrived from there and vandalised the market. Panic spread across the whole area at the time.

Vandalism also took place at Mallick Tower in Mirpur-1. Police said workers vandalised Mallick Tower under Shah Ali police station centring on an incident in which a worker named Toufiq was injured in the Mirpur-10 area. They later moved towards Mirpur-2.

At around 3:20pm, outside protesting workers also vandalised the 22 Tala Garments in the Adarshanagar area of Kalshi under Pallabi police station, according to information with police. As a result, protests and vandalism spread to several areas of Mirpur.

Abul Bashar Mollah, assistant police commissioner of the DMP traffic division's Mirpur zone, said workers staged scattered road blockades at various places in Mirpur demanding a wage increase. Traffic was stopped on various roads as a result.

Mohammad Naser Rikabdar, deputy police commissioner of the DMP's Mirpur division, confirmed the vandalism in the bazaar and market area of Mirpur-1. He said that after the workers moved away from Mirpur-10, vandalism took place in the bazaar and market area adjacent to the shrine in Mirpur-1. Those involved in these incidents will be identified from CCTV footage and legal action will be taken.