Dhaka:Several thousand garment workers blocked the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway in the capital's Uttara area on Thursday morning, demanding an increase in minimum wages, timely payment of wages, and an end to arbitrary worker layoffs.
According to United News of Bangladesh, the blockade started around 930 am in the Azampur area and extended near Rajlaxmi under Uttara West Police Station. This protest caused a complete standstill on both sides of the highway, leading to severe traffic congestion and significant inconvenience for commuters, long-distance bus passengers, and pedestrians.
Officer-in-Charge Khalid of Uttara West Police Station reported that between 5,000 to 7,000 workers participated, carrying sticks and other wooden objects. Police were deployed on both sides of the highway, attempting to negotiate with the workers to end the blockade. The workers had also blocked the road on the previous day, which police managed to clear through persuasion.
Witnesses noted that the workers initially demonstrated in various lanes of Uttara before converging on the Azampur area to block the main road. This resulted in severe congestion on both sides of the Airport-Abdullahpur highway, with vehicles stuck in long queues and movement disrupted across Uttara and nearby areas.
Hundreds of passengers traveling on long-distance buses were stranded due to the traffic jam. Many passengers were forced to disembark and continue their journeys on foot, while those commuting to work and traveling for urgent matters faced considerable difficulties.