Workers demonstrate for rehabilitation, compensation

Apparel workers are seen demonstrating on Dhaka-Aricha highway in Savar, on the outskirt area of the capital Wednesday. Photo: TV grab

A few hundred readymade garment workers whose factories were in collapsed Rana Plaza have been demonstrating since Wednesday morning blocking a portion of the Dhaka-Aricha highway in Savar to press home their several demands.

The workers put forward a number of demands including rehabilitation and compensation for the Rana Plaza victims, making a list of the missing and bring them under compensation net, as well as death sentence to the owner of the building, Sheikh Farid Uddin, a sub-inspector (SI) of Savar Model Police Station told the Bangla daily Prothom Alo.

The nine-storey Rana Plaza housing five garment factories came crashing down on thousands of workers on April 24.

The death toll in the country's worst ever industrial disaster stands 1,129.

The agitated workers also vowed on Wednesday to continue their demonstration unless a government high official come to the spot with assurance of meeting their demands.

The agitating workers brought out procession around 10:00am on the highway.

After the procession, they took to the highway and started staging sit-in in front of the ruined site of Rana Plaza from 11:00am.

The law enforcers however are trying to remove the protesters from the highway, the SI said.