Mangalore: Seven daily wage workers were sacked by an Areca factory administration in the city Bunder area today. The factory dealt in betel nuts and the owners happened to be from Gujarat. The workers were agitating for an increase in their wages for the last 3 days. They said they were working since 2 years without a raise in their wages.

The CITU led these protesting workers on the path of open protest. The factory manager called in the Police by complaining to Bunder (North) station. Thirty workers including the 7 dismissed and CITU leaders Sunil Kumar Bajal, Munir Katipalla, Vasanth Achary and others were arrested at the factory site where they were shouting slogans and making speeches in provocation, admitted SI Manjunath, talking to Mega Media today.

A wage earner Ahmed Bawa also made a complaint to the Police saying that he was sacked by his employers. M/s S.I. Enterprises, Supari dealers shop, when he joined in the mass protest, the Police said.

The arrested persons of the protest rally, mostly day laborers, were later released at the Police station, it is learnt here.