Apparel workers block Airport Road

Thousands of apparel workers from factories at Uttara, Abdullahpur, Azampur and the adjacent areas blockaded the Dhaka-Mymensingh Highway from Airport to Abdullahpur in the capital for the second consecutive day on Monday to press the demand of wage hike.

Their protests halted traffic movement on the busy highway from 9:00am causing sufferings to travellers and commuters.

They also set a bus of Ena Paribahan on fire on the Airport Road at around 1:15pm, said Airport police outpost in-charge Mustafizur Rahman.

Besides, the apparel workers vandalised several buses also, he said.

The police were trying to bring the situation under control, he also said.

Protesters said that in October last year, the monthly wage of apparel workers in the seventh grade increased to Tk 8,000 from Tk 5,300. But the wages in other grades did not increase at the same rate.

The new wage structure disappointed the workers for which they were compelled to take the streets, Garment Workers’ Trade Union Centre executive president Kazi Ruhul Amin told New Age.

Apparel workers were on the street for years demanding fixing the basic wage at the entry point at Tk 10,000 and the gross wage at Tk 16,000 per month and proportional hikes in the other grades.

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net