The workers of a pharmaceutical company blocked the Dhaka-Tangail highway for about four and a half hours on Saturday demanding 21 points including salary increase, job regularization and two-day weekend.
Hundreds of commuters on the highway suffered due to traffic disruption during that time.
At around 6 am today, the workers started a protest by blocking the highway and setting fire to tires in Boardghar area of Kaliakore, Gazipur.
Adil Mahmood, officer-in-charge of Garai Highway police station, told The Daily Star that the police removed the protesters from the road around 10:30 am.
OC said that they have contacted the company authorities. The authorities have assured that they will quickly listen to the demands of the agitators.
The protest was held under the banner of anti-discrimination labor rights movement. The agitating workers said that they will not return to work until their demands are met.
According to them, company officials fire workers if they raise concerns about any irregularities.
Before the blockade of the highway, hundreds of workers were seen marching towards the highway with various slogans such as ‘Our demands must be met’, ‘Ayyam Na Chaai’, etc.
Gazipur Shilpa Police Assistant Superintendent of Police Golam Morshed Khan told the Daily Star at 9 am that traffic was disrupted as the workers blocked the highway.
Till 11:30 am, no comment was received from the pharmaceutical authorities on the matter.