UAE jails 45 Indian workers after pay rise protest

DUBAI—A Dubai court has sentenced 45 Indian construction workers to six months in jail followed by deportation over a violent protest to demand wage increases, a local newspaper reported on Monday. The Court of Misdemeanour found the workers guilty of endangering public security, damaging property and inciting other workers to strike over pay rises, the Gulf News daily quoted a senior court official as saying. “There are legal channels and legitimate methods for workers who deem they are underpaid to claim their rights instead of rioting violently and unlawfully,” Judge Jasem Baqer, Head of Dubai Criminal Court, told the daily. “This is a first-of-a-kind ruling,” the judge said

—Agencies