Police charged batons and lobbed up tear gas canisters to disperse protesting ready-made garment (RMG) workers demanding unpaid wages on the Dhaka-Tangail highway at Kaliakair in in Gazipur on Friday.
Superintendent of Gazipur Industrial Police-2 AKM Zahirul Islam said, "The workers of closed Mahmud Jeans Limited blocked the busy highway around 10am, demanding their unpaid wages, causing long traffic tailbacks. We intervened to clear the road."
"Around 11am, the workers were dispersed from the Chandra intersection. Additional forces have been in the area to prevent further unrest," he added.
The traffic returned to normal soon, the officer said.
Abu Taleb, manager (administration) of the factory, said, "The factory was permanently shut down on October 10 last year in accordance with the labour law. Workers' dues will be settled under the supervision of the Ministry of Labour.
"The factory management has no further role in this matter."
According to protesting workers, despite the factory closure, around 2,000 workers are still owed unpaid wages and dues, which remain unsettled despite repeated demands and demonstrations.
