RMG workers block road for arrears, commuters suffer

Several hundred workers of a ready-made garment factory blocked Kuril Biswa Road in the capital, demanding payment of their dues, bringing the traffic on the road and its adjacent areas to a complete halt on Wednesday.

Md Ziaur Rahman, additional deputy commissioner (ADC) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s Traffic Division (Gulshan), said some 500 to 600 workers of Eurozone Fashion Garments protested on the streets between 12 noon and 4pm.

After talking to the factory owners, the police assured the workers of their payments, and then they ended their protest, he said, adding that both parties would hold a meeting soon to resolve the issues.

The factory, located in the Joar Sahara area, remained locked from 19 August and its owners remained untraceable, workers claimed.

A worker named Ikhlas said, “We have not received the wages for July. Senior workers did not get seniority allowances.”

Another worker claimed that the factory owners stopped operations of the factory and fled.

During the four-hour blockade, commuters suffered immensely as traffic came to a halt on Kuril Bishwa Road and adjacent areas.

Many of them were forced to leave their vehicles and take alternative routes, while others had to walk to reach their destinations.