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SAVAR, BANGLADESH: Textile workers burn factories, buses




Textile workers demanding better pay and one day off per week went on a rampage
Monday at an industrial zone near the Bangladeshi capital, setting fire to two
factories and several buses, police and witnesses said.

At least 100 people, including several police officers, were hurt when factory
guards and riot police intervened to disperse the protesters at Savar, an
industrial town near Dhaka, Nazmul Huda, a local reporter told The Associated
Press by telephone.

The workers started demonstrating after authorities failed to meet their
demands, which include higher wages and benefits, a six-day workweek and a stop
to forced overtime, said Belayet Hossain, a labor leader.

Workers are often forced to work seven days a week or late into the night to
meet production deadlines, Hossain added.



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