Five workers injured in protest over unpaid wages in Bangladesh

Dhaka, Oct 23 (IANS) At least five workers at a textile factory in Bangladesh were injured on Thursday while staging a protest over unpaid wages and blocking the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway.

The blockade led to nearly an hour of traffic snarls, causing severe inconveniences to the commuters, the local media reported.

Reports suggest that the police fired multiple rounds of sound grenades and used tear gas to disperse the workers after attempts to remove them from the highway through negotiation failed.

Confirming the development Abdul Barek Mia, officer-in-charge (OC) of Sreepur Police Station, said police attempted to persuade the workers to clear the highway but were forced to take action when traffic movement came to a halt.

“Negotiations are underway with the factory owner to pay the workers’ arrears. The situation is now under control,” Bangladeshi media outlet UNB quoted the OC as saying.

According to the workers the protest began at the factory gate, demanding payment of two months’ outstanding wages and other dues. When their demands were ignored, they reportedly escalated the demonstration by blocking the highway.

They alleged that as police charged with batons and used tear gas and sound grenades to disperse them, as many as five workers sustained injuries.

The latest development comes amid the closure of numerous factories across Bangladesh, which has triggered continuous protests during which many workers have either lost their lives or been seriously injured.

Recently, over 600 workers of a garment factory in Bangladesh held a protest over unpaid wages, bringing the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway to a standstill.

The non-payment of dues left many struggling to support their families and facing growing pressure from landlords over unpaid rent, Bangladesh’s leading newspaper, The Daily Star, reported.

Last month, one worker was killed and 10 others were injured when clashes broke out between workers and law enforcement personnel in northern Bangladesh, amid protests against factory closure and layoffs.

The workers gathered in the Export Processing Zone (EPZ) in the Nilphamari district of the Rangpur Division, during which they clashed with the security officials.

Following the violent incident, Bangladesh's Awami League party slammed the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government over the killing of an unarmed factory worker by gunfire during protests in Nilphamari.

Condemning the heinous act, the Awami League alleged that under the Yunus regime, Bangladesh has turned into a ceaseless river of blood, a reality which the people of the country are witnessing firsthand.

Protests and strikes by workers over non-payment of dues and deteriorating working conditions have gripped the entire country since the interim government led by Yunus came to power in August 2024.

--IANS

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