JAMMU: Hundreds of workers at the Chenab Textile Mills (CTM) in Jammu and Kashmir’ Kathua district resorted to violence over non-payment of full wages during which several people, including cops, were injured. According to the Zee Media sources, hundreds of workers came out of CTM and held protests on Friday against the failure of the management to pay full wages to them.
Their protest soon turned violent and they clashed with the police which was called to control the situation.
Infuriated with police presence, the workers broke furniture, windows, and other material and ransacked offices at the mill complex, the police said.
The protesters then rushed to the highway and blocked it and shouted slogans. Police asked them to disperse to allow the movement of traffic, but workers turned violent and clashed with police, which resorted to a mild lathi-charge.
In the clashes and subsequent lathi-charge by the police, several workers and cops were injured. Over two dozen persons have been detained for damaging police vehicles and other items, the police said.
Sharing more information about the incident, SSP Kathua Shailendra Kumar said, "Six to seven thousand workers are working at CTM. Their problem is related to payment. They feel payment given to them by management is insufficient. They have misunderstood that (other) staff have been given full payment and they were given very less amount."
Second, they want to return to their villages, the SSP said. "We have talked to them and will sit with CTM management to address the issues," he said. On their part, the workers alleged that they were given only Rs 2,000 as monthly wage.
"Neither the management is paying us full wages, nor they are allowing us to go back to our homes in various states," a worker said.
