Textile workers block highway demanding wage, Eid bonus
19 April 2023
Staff Reporter :
Agitating workers of a textile factory blocked the Dhaka-Mymensingh Highway in Nayanpur area of Sreepur, Gazipur yesterday, demanding salary and bonus ahead of the religious festival of Eid-ul-Fitr.
From 2.00 pm on 18 April, 2023 hundreds of workers of Hong Kong Shanghi Manjala Textile Mills blocked the Dhaka-Mymensingh Highway demanding Eid bonus and 15 days wages of the current month.
Because of this blockade, huge tailbacks on both ends of the highway were created. Industrial police, District and Highway police managed to calm them down after negotiating with the owners and assuring them their demands will be met soon.
The factory workers alleged that the authority of Hong Kong Shanghai Manjala Textile Mills repeatedly changed the dates to pay Eid bonus after they placed their demands before the management since the start of April. As the factory management did not meet their demands, they took it on the streets.
Sumin Akhtar, a worker of this factory, said that Eid is only a few days away. The authorities have not given us Eid bonus yet. Even after some gentle reminders, they are not paying any heed. So I am blocking the road finding no ways.
Md. Sajib, another agitating worker of the factory, said that they are not listening to us. We all demanded for half month salary of the current month and of course the Eid bonus. Till date the authority gives nothing but the Eid only four days left. We paid our monthly house rent, and glossary shop bill. As the costs of daily commodities are sky-rocketing, we are now completely empty now. If the bonus and half month's salary of the current month is not there, our Eid will be ground, he added.
Ujjal Ahmed, the official of the human resource department of the factory, said to the journalists that we have paid the last month's salary on the 15th of this month. We will give bonus before Eid holiday. If someone else pays half a month's salary, we will also pay. While the issues were being discussed in the factory, the workers had taken to the highway.
Gazipur Industrial Police Sub-Inspector (SI), Ataur Rahman, said that after receiving the information, we made our response immediately. We were able to calm them down and restore the traffic movement on the highway. The police discussed with all involving parties to settle the matter and expecting a solution regarding this issue.
