After receiving guarantees that their outstanding wages would be paid shortly, employees of the textile manufacturing company Birds Group in Ashulia lifted a highway roadblock on the Nabinagar-Chandra route.
The 52-hour long demonstration, which started on Monday, was intended to demand that the company’s outstanding debts and salaries for the previous three months be paid in full, as this was the reason behind the company’s sudden closure in late August.
Hundreds of cars were left stranded and many drivers and passengers experienced inconvenience due to the significant traffic congestion caused by the roadblock. In response, the owner of Birds Group was detained by a combined task force made up of local police and army soldiers, who then helped the employees discuss their complaints.
Workers in front of the Birds Group facility said they would not leave until all due payments were made, despite the blockage being lifted on Wednesday. Reports from drivers who had been detained for days revealed that a large number of freight trucks were idle along the blocked highway during a visit to the scene on Wednesday morning.
A senior army officer then intervened to make a plea to the workers, highlighting the misery that their actions had caused to many others and vowing to take prompt action with regard to their salaries. Following the meeting, law enforcement reopened the route despite some initial pushback from the protesting workers.
The Birds Group had already declared on 28th August that it was closing its factories, RNR Fashions Ltd., Bird’s Garments Ltd., Bird’s Fedrex Ltd., and Bird’s A&Z Ltd., citing economic difficulties brought on by the recession that followed the Russia-Ukraine war and its effects on the world economy.
The protest began because no payments had been made by the deadline, despite the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) having scheduled a meeting for the resolution of dues.
Around 33 additional factories have closed as a result of the turmoil in the apparel industry, however the BGMEA notes that, despite occasional acts of vandalism, things are generally getting better as many firms progressively start up again. After a month of volatility in the industry, Abdullah Hil Rakib, the acting president of BGMEA, indicated that activity is returning to normal.