Garment workers took to the streets of Mirpur for a second consecutive day on Sunday, demanding a minimum monthly wage of 30,000 taka. The demonstrations turned violent in Mirpur Section 11, where protesters set fire to a police vehicle as law enforcement attempted to clear blockaded roads, triggering series of violent clashes throughout the district.
The agitation began around 9:00 AM on Sunday, when workers gathered at the strategic Mirpur Section 10 roundabout. The protest swiftly expanded across northern Dhaka, with employees from surrounding ready-made garment (RMG) factories blockading major intersections at Section 11, Section 12, and the Proshika crossing. Vehicular movement ground to a complete halt across the entire industrial zone, stranding thousands of commuters.
As tension escalated, security personnel deployed water cannons, tear gas shells, and sound grenades to disperse the crowd. The intervention sparked widespread chaos, resulting in violent confrontations between police and stone-pelting workers. Jalal Uddin, Officer-in-Charge of Pallabi Police Station, confirmed that heavy police reinforcements were deployed to restore order and reopen vital arterial routes.
This escalation follows widespread unrest on Saturday, when workers launched their initial road blockades. Tensions boiled over late Saturday afternoon near Mirpur Section 1, culminating in clashes with security personnel at Himalaya Garments. The violence quickly spread to neighbouring infrastructure, where protesters vandalised Bagdad Shopping Complex and hurled bricks at a multi-storey garment manufacturing facility in the Kalshi Adarshanagar area.
The protests come amidst ongoing national discussions regarding pay structures across Bangladesh’s crucial apparel export sector. Although the Ministry of Labour and Employment has formally established a Minimum Wage Board to review existing compensation frameworks, labour groups argue the proposed adjustments fall far short of matching rising living costs and inflation, prompting them to press forward with their demand for a 30,000 taka baseline wage.
