Garment Workers Block Dhaka-Aricha Highway at Savar's Hemayetpur with Three Demands, Two-Kilometre Tailback

Garment workers have blocked the Dhaka-Aricha highway with three demands, including a rise in the minimum wage and an end to blacklisting. At around 9am on Wednesday (November 4), workers from several garment factories gathered in the Hemayetpur bus stand area of Savar and took position on the highway.

The blockade created a severe traffic jam stretching across roughly two kilometres of the highway, causing suffering for passengers and drivers of various vehicles. According to the latest reports received at 9:50am, the workers were continuing their position on the highway.

The protesting workers said the cost of living has now risen abnormally, making it difficult to run a family on a wage of Tk 12,500.

The workers' three demands are: setting a minimum wage of Tk 30,000 for garment factory workers, stopping the illegal blacklisting of workers, and cancelling unjust dismissals.

Police said workers from several garment factories in the Padmar Mor area of Tetuljhora Union in Savar gathered on Wednesday morning and protested there.

Workers of the AKH garment factory then joined work and came out of the factory after some time. They later blocked the Dhaka-Aricha highway.

Savar Highway police station in-charge (OC) Md Asaduzzaman Noor said the workers had taken position on the highway with three demands. Additional police have been deployed to avoid any untoward incident, he said.