Vehicular movement on Dhaka-Tangail highway in Palli Bidyut area of Kaliakair upazila in Gazipur district remained suspended for an hour as workers of several garment factories blocked the highway, demanding an increase in wages.

The workers staged the protests although the Minimum Wage Board for RMG workers has already held two meetings and the next meeting is scheduled to be held on November 16.

A long tailback was created on both sides of the road, causing immense suffering to commuters.

Witnesses said workers from several garment factories in and around the Palli Bidyut area refrained from joining work and started demonstrations inside their respective factories in the morning.

At one stage, they came out of the factories and blocked the Dhaka-Tangail highway around 9:30 am, disrupting traffic in the surrounding areas.

Amid the demonstrations several nearby factories announced a holiday for the day.

After around an hour, law enforcement personnel removed the protesters from the highway and brought the situation under control, allowing traffic to resume.

Additional members of the industrial police, regular police and other law enforcement agencies have been deployed in the industrial areas to maintain law and order.

Gazipur Industrial Police Superintendent Mohammad Amzad Hossain said the situation was later brought under control through the efforts of the industrial police and other law enforcement agencies.