The daily commute turned chaotic in Gazipur today as thousands of garment workers, driven to desperation by delayed wages, brought a major national highway to a standstill.
Workers from the AA Yarn Mills factory in Sreepur blocked the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway, demanding their September salaries which are long overdue. For many, this isn’t just about a paycheck; it’s about survival.
As one worker, Monira Khatun, put it, the management has been playing games, promising payment and then failing to deliver. Another worker, Ariful Islam, painted a picture of extreme stress: “Landlords are threatening to evict us. We are being harassed by the grocer. We came to the streets because our families are starving.”
Despite negotiations, the workers refused to budge, forcing police to escalate the situation. Officers deployed tear gas to clear the road, ending the blockade violently but leaving the core issue—unpaid wages—unresolved.
- While the factory’s HR official confirmed the overdue payment, the immediate future for these workers remains uncertain, highlighting the recurring financial vulnerability faced by workers in the textile sector