To avoid any untoward incidents, the authorities of MM Knitwear Limited in Konabari have announced an indefinite closure of the factory from today.
Garment workers stage a protest in the Mouchak area of Gazipur, demanding an increase in wages on Thursday (12 November 2026). Photo: TBS
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Garment workers stage a protest in the Mouchak area of Gazipur, demanding an increase in wages on Thursday (12 November 2026). Photo: TBS
Garment workers have resumed protests in Gazipur, blocking the Dhaka-Tangail highway over demands for higher wages and bringing traffic to a halt on the busy route.
The workers began the blockade at around 8:30am today (12 November) in the Mouchak area of Kaliakair upazila, causing long tailbacks and severe hardship for commuters and transport workers.
Local sources said workers at several factories in Mouchak initially refused to join work and began protesting, demanding the prompt implementation of the minimum wage. Workers from other nearby factories later joined the demonstration in solidarity and took to the highway.
All factories in Mouchak and surrounding areas have been declared closed to bring the situation under control.
Garment workers block the Dhaka-Tangail highway in Gazipur as protests over wage demands resume on Thursday (12 November 2026). Photo: TBS
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Garment workers block the Dhaka-Tangail highway in Gazipur as protests over wage demands resume on Thursday (12 November 2026). Photo: TBS
Meanwhile, workers of Islam and Standard Garments are staying outside their factories in the Konabari and Jarun areas of Gazipur city.
To avoid any untoward incidents, the authorities of MM Knitwear Limited in Konabari have announced an indefinite closure of the factory from today.
The situation had eased somewhat on 8 and 9 November following assurances from the wage board, prompting workers to return to their workplaces. However, tensions began rising again on 10 and 11 November.
Yesterday, workers in Naojor, Konabari, Kashimpur and Rajendrapur staged work stoppages and attempted to take to the streets. Factory authorities were forced to declare general holidays from 11am to noon.
Workers returned to the streets again this morning, continuing the protests.
Vehicles remain stuck in a long tailback on the Dhaka-Tangail highway following a blockade by garment workers in Gazipur on Thursday (12 November 2026). Photo: TBS
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Vehicles remain stuck in a long tailback on the Dhaka-Tangail highway following a blockade by garment workers in Gazipur on Thursday (12 November 2026). Photo: TBS
The blockade has halted traffic on the Dhaka-Tangail highway from the Safipur section, causing long tailbacks. Police, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), Armed Police Battalion (APBn) and industrial police personnel are working jointly to bring the situation under control and restore normal traffic.
Shahidul Islam, officer-in-charge of Kaliakair Police Station, said law enforcement personnel reached the spot after workers blocked the road and tried to remove them, but the workers repeatedly returned to the highway.
Mohammad Amzad Hossain, superintendent of police of Gazipur Industrial Zone-2, said agitated workers had left their workplaces and blocked the road.
Law enforcement agencies are making every effort to persuade the workers to leave the highway and restore normal traffic, he added.
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