Workers block Dhaka-Aricha highway protesting death of coworkers in accident

Workers of an RMG factory blocked Dhaka-Aricha highway this morning (21 November) protesting the death of four fellow workers during an accident and demanding reparation for the families of the deceased.

Workers of Graphics Textiles Limited in Dhamrai's Sreerampur area kept the highway blocked from 9am to 11:30am, which created long tailbacks on both sides of the road.

According to aggrieved workers, they blocked the highway with a 3-point demand after four of their fellow workers died and 20 others were injured in a head-on collision between a bus carrying the workers and a truck yesterday night (20 November).

The demands of the workers are - reparation for the deceased and treatment for the injured, transports for the workers and the announcement of a general holiday at the factory for one day .

Salma Begum, an aggrieved worker, said, "We have been protesting since the morning, stopping our work. The deceaseds' families have to be given compensation. The injured have to be treated. We also demand transports for our regular movement."

At one point during the protest, the factory authority and police reached the spot and brought the situation under control by convincing the workers to withdraw their blockade.

Contacted, Superintendent of Industrial Police-1 Sarowar Alam said, "The workers stayed on the road for two hours with their 3-point demand. Later, we took them away from the street. A general holiday has been declared at the factory for today."

Earlier, a head-on collision between a bus and a truck left four workers of the factory dead and 20 others injured.