DHAKA, Bangladesh, Dec. 12 (UPI) -- A clash between police and garment factory workers in Bangladesh has left at least three people dead and dozens more injured, officials said Sunday.
Police used batons and tear gas to disperse thousands of protesters demanding better pay in Dhaka and Chittagong, the BBC reported.
Protesters attacked factories and smashed vehicles in Chittagong Export Procession Zone Sunday, and roads in Dhaka were blocked and at least two vehicles were set on fire, police said.
Dozens were injured in Dhaka, where thousands of workers gathered outside a factory in an industrial area of the city to protest its closure as a result of the disturbances.
Workers said pay increases were due last month, but failed to materialize.
All of the dead were shot, officials said. One of those killed was a rickshaw puller in Chittagong, but it was unclear why he was shot.
Labor unions said many factories have not implemented a new salary scale a government wage board announced earlier this year.
Workers were to be earning at least $43 monthly, starting in November.
More than 3 million people, mostly women, work in Bangladesh's garment industry. Much of their output ends up in stores in the West.
