Several thousand factory workers protest

On 24 August 2008 several thousand factory workers from textile and jute mills in Narsingdi, located 31 mi/50 km northeast of Dhaka, protested against frequent power outages in the workplace. The workers claim that the closure of mills due to power outages stops business and deprives them of jobs and pay. The protesters blocked the mills and the Dhaka-Sylhet highway for several hours, until authorities assured them that power outages will be reduced. Authorities reported that electricity was not immediately available due to problems with generator capacity. No injuries were reported.