Police Firing at Protesters: Quest for better conditions met with bullets
SS Power I Plant workers had to live in appalling conditions; 3,500 sued
Workers of SS Power I Plant in Chattogram said long-simmering discontent over hygienic and accommodation conditions, lack of pay hikes and payment of arrears led to Saturday s protests which left five people killed and dozens of workers with bullet injuries.
Local representatives and police, however, claimed that some locals played a role in instigating workers to take part in the clash, a claim also backed by some workers at the plant located in Banshkhali upazila.
This correspondent visited the plant after the clash on Saturday and saw the shed where workers stay was unhealthy and crammed and the toilets used by workers so unhygienic that it would be hard to expect anyone to use them. The drain adjacent to their accommodation was seen overflowing with human waste and emitting a rancid smell.