Dhaka:Several thousand garment workers blocked the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway in the capital's Uttara area on Thursday morning. Their demands included an increase in minimum wages, timely payment of wages, and an end to arbitrary worker layoffs.
According to United News of Bangladesh, the blockade brought traffic to a complete halt on both sides of the highway, leading to severe congestion and causing significant inconvenience to commuters, long-distance bus passengers, and pedestrians.
Officer-in-Charge Khalid of Uttara West Police Station reported that workers from various garment factories began blocking the main road in the Azampur area around 930 a.m. They later extended the blockade near Rajlaxmi under the same police station. He estimated that between 5,000 and 7,000 workers were involved, carrying sticks and other wooden objects. Police have been deployed to persuade the workers to withdraw the blockade.
Witnesses noted that the demonstrations started in various lanes of Uttara before moving to the Azampur area. The blockade severely affected traffic on the Airport-Abdullahpur highway, resulting in long queues of vehicles and disrupting movement in Uttara and adjacent areas. Hundreds of passengers on long-distance buses were left stranded, with some opting to continue their journeys on foot due to the standstill.