Apparel workers block Savar roads over unpaid wages
Tensions flared in Savar and Ashulia on Saturday morning as workers from two garment factories took to the streets, blocking two regional roads to demand overdue wages.
The protests, which disrupted traffic for hours, underscored mounting frustrations with factory management over unpaid wages.
Since early Saturday, employees of Bashundhara Garments Limited in Savar barricaded the Singair-Hemayetpur regional road, while workers from SSAIN Apparels Limited halted movement on the Jirabo regional road in Ashulia.
The demonstrations stemmed from allegations of deliberate delays by factory authorities in disbursing January’s salaries and allowances.
“We’ve been given excuse after excuse,” said an aggrieved worker from Bashundhara Garments.
“They keep setting payment dates but never follow through.” The workers, fed up with broken promises, gathered at their workplace in the morning before spilling onto the Singair-Hemayetpur road to press their demands.
Meanwhile, a separate but parallel struggle unfolded at SSAIN Apparels. Shahidul, a worker there, explained: “Salaries were due by the 10th of each month, but on February 9, the owner shut the factory indefinitely without paying us.”
The authorities promised to clear the dues by February 15, prompting workers to block the Jirabo road on February 16. That protest ended with assurances from local administration, but with no payments forthcoming, they returned to blockade the road again on Saturday.
Law enforcement, including members of the industrial police, intervened at both sites, urging workers to disperse.
Mohammad Mominul Islam Bhuiyan, Superintendent of Industrial Police-1, confirmed the dual protests: “Workers from two factories in Savar and Ashulia are demanding their dues. We’ve reached out to the factory owners to resolve this.”
He added that SSAIN Apparels has committed to paying salaries by March 3, while talks with Bashundhara Garments’ management are ongoing. “We’re working to find a solution,” Bhuiyan assured.
