Garment workers block Uttara highway over pay demands

From 15 October 2026 — Daily Brief

Garment workers from several factories blocked the Dhaka–Mymensingh Highway in Uttara on Wednesday, demanding higher wages and payment of outstanding dues.

The protest began in the morning around Azampur and Rajlokkhi. Organisers sought a monthly minimum wage of Tk30,000, arguing that existing pay had not kept pace with the cost of food, rent and other essentials.

More than 1,000 people joined the demonstration, according to local reporting. The blockade lasted roughly two and a half hours and caused severe congestion on the airport road and surrounding streets. Some passengers left vehicles and continued on foot, while the disruption also affected emergency movement.

Police and traffic officials negotiated with the workers, who cleared the road at about 1:30pm. No settlement of the wage demand was announced.

The action exposes renewed pressure in Bangladesh’s largest export industry as households absorb high inflation. Factory-level arrears and the wider minimum-wage demand are separate issues, but both reflect strained labour relations. A durable response will require employers, worker representatives and government officials to distinguish unpaid contractual obligations from any broader revision of the sector’s statutory wage floor.