Published: 12:35 AM, 07 June 2026
Mass layoffs: Garment workers block highway
Workers of a garment factory on Saturday block the Dhaka-Aricha Highway's Dhaka-bound lane for around one and a half hours. -Collected
Garment workers in Savar on Saturday staged demonstration demanding reinstatement and payment of outstanding dues, briefly blocking the Dhaka-Aricha Highway's Dhaka-bound lane for about one and a half hours.
According to sources, 1,868 workers were laid off from three garment factories operated by Al-Muslim Group, which cited a downturn in business and a decline in export orders as the reason for the decision.
Several hundred agitated workers gathered outside the AKM Knitwear Ltd factory at Ulail in Savar from 8am on Saturday.
At one stage, they blocked the road before being persuaded to leave, said Industrial Police Inspector Refayet Ullah Chowdhury.
Workers alleged that the layoffs were not carried out in full compliance with the Bangladesh Labour Act and questioned the company's claim that a lack of work had necessitated the dismissals.
"We were paid only 20 days' wages before the Eid holidays. We received no prior notice of the layoffs," said Sabbir Hossain, a sewing section worker at the Ulail factory. "We regularly worked overtime, yet management says there is no work."
