After Thursday's clashes, in which revised figures tell of 200 injured and one worker dead, the strike continues and tension remains high in Khulna.
Jute worker
Since Friday, millworkers and other local people have flown black flags from homes and workplaces as a sign of solidarity and mourning for their dead comrade. On Saturday the police withdrew from the area and most shops remained shut. Today, Monday, the strikers intend to march in their thousands from the Kalishpur industrial belt - this was the site of Thursday's clashes. From Tuesday, the strikers intend to block rail lines and roads, in a similar tactic to that used in the recent successful anti-mining struggle in Bhulpari.
The strikers are demanding compensation for the family of the murdered worker. They also continue to demand payment of wage arrears, more reliable power supplies and more investment for greater security of employment in the mills.
In the north, workers at the state-owned Quomi Jute Mill in Sirajganj have also come out on one-day strike with a similar list of demands and to protest the killing in Khulna.
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