They began protesting in front of their factory in Badda, on Bishwa Road, around 11am Saturday but were at once surrounded by policemen.
About 500 workers blocked the road.
Our correspondent, who was at the spot, said a water cannon had been brought in and some 200 policemen had taken up position before the protest began in front of the commercial building, Hossain Market, which houses the factories.
Communist Party of Bangladesh President Mujahidul Islam Selim, who took part in the protests, said BGMEA, the apex body of the garment business, was planning to kill the protesting workers.
He warned the government that it would be held responsible if anything untoward were to happen.
The Tuba Group workers are on a hunger strike since July 28, the eve of Eid-ul-Fitr. Their agitation had begun some time earlier to press for overdue wages for the months of May, June and July.
BGMEA made several promises to ensure the workers’ dues were met but did not deliver.
A BGMEA leader said they had, on the government’s advice, tried to sell off a factory floor, only to find it had been mortgaged to a bank.
Tazreen Fashions, a factory gutted in a blaze killing 112 workers in 2012 belonged to the Tuba Group. The group is owned by Delwar Hossain, who is currently in jail. But he was granted bail was granted the High Court on Thursday.