Left alliance’s march for jute mill workers obstructed in capital

Democratic Left Alliance (DLA) activists and police scuffled yesterday at Shahbagh during a procession demanding arrears and announcement of minimum wage for jute mill workers.

A procession of DLA, an alliance of eight left-leaning parties, was heading towards the Prime Minister's Office but police obstructed it at Shahbagh.

The scuffle took place when protesters tried to break through barricades set up by police in front of hotel InterContinental Dhaka.

Left parties have been demanding the reopening of all state-owned jute mills and their modernisation. They also sought payment of workers' arrears and the announcement of minimum wage for them.

DLA has been protesting since the closure of the 25 state-run jute mills under Bangladesh Jute Mills Corporation.

The government's plan was to bring in private sector players who would oversee the reopening of the chronically loss-making mills as viable commercial entities. But no investor has come forward yet.