Garment workers blocked the Dhaka-Narayanganj Link Road on Tuesday (October 15) afternoon, demanding a minimum monthly wage of 30,000 taka, disrupting vehicular movement and causing immense suffering to commuters and transport operators. The agitation erupted at approximately 3:00 PM when workers from various factories marched onto the streets in the Katharpul area of Fatullah in Narayanganj. The demonstrators subsequently proceeded to blockade the Shibu Market area along the link road, completely halting traffic on both sides and leaving hundreds of vehicles stranded.
To bring the volatile situation under control, law enforcement agencies deployed a significant contingent of police and members of the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) to the scene. Security personnel took positions equipped with water cannons and armored personnel carriers (APCs). Industrial Police-4 Superintendent Abdullah Al Mahmud confirmed that workers had occupied the highway and stated that law enforcement agencies maintained a vigilant stance while attempting to persuade the demonstrators to clear the roadway through peaceful negotiations.
This demonstration follows a similar protest staged on Monday afternoon, during which garment workers blockaded the same Dhaka-Narayanganj Link Road for nearly four hours. Traffic movement resumed only after local authorities, including the local member of parliament, district administration, and police, intervened and assured the workers of addressing their demands, which restored normalcy by 4:15 PM on Monday.
During Monday's protests, representatives of the workers put forward a comprehensive five-point charter of demands. Alongside the 30,000 taka minimum wage, the demands include the introduction of a rationing system across all garment factories, the implementation of trade union rights, justice for the killings of deceased workers including Amzad Hossain Kamal, an immediate halt to arbitrary worker retrenchments, and the full implementation of the labor law.
Operations across factories in the Panchabasti BSCIC Industrial City and the Adamjee EPZ in Siddhirganj initially operated under normal conditions on Tuesday morning, with workers reporting for duty. However, the situation escalated rapidly when workers once again took to the streets in the Katharpul area shortly after 3:15 PM. Following Monday's blockade, Narayanganj Deputy Commissioner Raihan Kabir announced the deployment of five platoons of BGB personnel to reinforce security throughout the district, with three platoons held in reserve and two deployed on active patrols as law enforcement agencies continue monitoring developments on the ground.
