Published : 27 Oct 2026, 03:33 PM
Updated : 27 Oct 2026, 03:33 PM
Police have persuaded workers blockading the Dhaka-Tangail Highway in Gazipur over higher pay and allowances to leave, after which traffic returned to normal.
Md Amzad Hossain, superintendent of Gazipur Industrial Police, said the workers were persuaded to leave the highway around 1pm on Tuesday. Vehicles began moving again at 1:45pm.
Workers of Essential Clothing Limited began protesting around 10am near Kaliakair’s Mouchak, initially demanding higher wages before blocking the highway.
The blockade halted traffic along several kilometres of the road.
Police and workers said the workers began their protest outside the factory between 8:30am and 8:45am. They then marched onto the Kaliakoir-Fulbaria road and took position there.
They also “pressed” nearby factories to close and later hurled brickbats at the gates of several of them.
To keep the situation under control, authorities at many nearby factories declared a holiday. The protesters later moved to the Dhaka-Tangail Highway at Mouchak, disrupting traffic.
Officer Amzad said the workers initially demanded payment of their outstanding September wages before calling for higher pay. They then urged workers at nearby factories to join the protest.
Workers from several other factories responded by blocking a local road before moving onto the highway to demand higher wages and benefits, he added.