By RIA Novosti
Abu Dhabi : A total of 625 workers have been arrested after violent protests in Sharjah, in the north of the United Arab Emirates, national media said on Thursday.
Some 800 workers involved in the construction of residential towers blocked the Al-Nahda main road for three hours late on Tuesday and attacked police and passing cars with stones, bricks, ceramic slates and other building materials.
Fifteen people, including police officers, were wounded and hospitalized with minor injuries. A number of vehicles and buildings were also damaged, police said.
The cause of unrest was not immediately known. The majority of the protesters were Indian, Pakistani, Bengali and Afghani nationals.
The khaleejtimes.com said the workers were believed to be protesting against a decision by the building company they worked for to accommodate them in two unfinished buildings.
The chief of the Sharjah Police, Humaid Mohammed Al-Hudaidi, was quoted by the xpress4me.com website as saying the strike had, “Nothing to do with labor disputes,”
“The workers didn’t have an excuse to do this. No one is allowed to violate the law and cause chaos,” he added.
A labor ministry official said that the company had increased monthly wages in February from 750 dirhams ($204) to 850 dirhams ($231), and overtime wages could reach up to $300 a month. He also said that the company increased salaries in February each year.
An investigation into the violence is underway. The rioters could now be deported, the Al-Bayan newspaper said.