Workers accuse factory owners of abuse and false legal actions as frustration mounts over wage delays.
Garment workers from two factories—Style Craft Limited and Young Ones BD—staged a protest in Gazipur, Bangladesh, on Sunday, demanding payment of wages that have been withheld for the past 14 months.
According to Assistant Superintendent of Police Wahiduzzaman of the Gazipur Industrial Police, hundreds of workers gathered in front of the factories early in the morning, blocking nearby roads in a peaceful but tense demonstration.
Protesters say the factory owners promised to clear their outstanding dues by the Wednesday following Eid, after providing partial payments of Tk 20,000 to some workers. However, when no further payments were made, workers resumed protests out of growing desperation.
Mahfuz Mia, treasurer of the Gazipur branch of the Bangladesh Garments and Sweaters Workers Trade Union, stated that approximately 1,800 workers are employed between the two factories. “The workers have not received salaries for over a year,” he said. “Instead of paying them, the owners have long misused their influence—filing false cases against workers who demand their rights.”
Several women sustained injuries during the protest, although details of the incidents remain unclear. Eyewitnesses reported clashes with security personnel as tensions escalated.
The ongoing wage crisis highlights broader concerns in Bangladesh’s garment sector, particularly regarding labor rights violations, wage insecurity, and retaliation against union activity.
