Workers staged day-long protest demanding the reopening of 16 shuttered factories in the Beximco Industrial Park in Gazipur on Saturday.
From 9:00 am to 3:30 pm, thousands of workers blocked roads, vandalized vehicles, and clashed with law enforcement, leading to police baton charges and tear gas dispersal. The protest disrupted traffic for nearly seven hours on the Chandra-Nabinagar-Tangail Highway.
The workers began their demonstrations early in the morning, placing logs and garbage on the Chandra-Nabinagar road and setting them on fire, effectively halting vehicular movement.
Police, industrial security forces, and military personnel attempted to negotiate, but tensions escalated, prompting the use of force to clear the roads.
The clashes left 10-12 workers injured, and long traffic jams caused severe inconvenience to commuters. Normal traffic resumed only after the workers were dispersed by law enforcement.
The 16 factories, part of the Beximco Group owned by former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's adviser Salman F. Rahman, were shut down on 15 December, 2024, due to a lack of export orders and difficulties opening letters of credit for raw material imports.
Approximately 25,000 workers employed at these factories have been left without work.
Protesting workers claim they received wages on time until 5 August. Since the factory closures, they have faced financial hardships, with landlords pressuring them to vacate, shops refusing to provide goods on credit, and no means to cover household expenses. With the upcoming school enrollment season in January, workers are particularly anxious about their children’s education.
Sub-Inspector Shahidul Islam of Naojor Highway Police stated that the highway blockade caused significant disruption to traffic on both sides of the road.
Gazipur Industrial Area Assistant Police Superintendent Abu Taleb confirmed that protests had paralyzed vehicular movement. Kashimpur Police Station Officer-in-Charge Rafiqul Islam added that the situation returned to normal after workers were dispersed.
The incident highlights the severe economic challenges and worker unrest caused by industrial closures, with demands for immediate action to reopen factories to mitigate social and economic fallout.
Bd-pratidin English/Tanvir Raihan
