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Garment workers in Bangladesh protest for third day
HUNDREDS of garment factories in Bangladesh face disruptions as workers protest against low pay and the rising cost of living. There was heavy police presence in Dhaka’s Mirpur industrial area today a
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HUNDREDS of garment factories in Bangladesh face disruptions as workers protest against low pay and the rising cost of living.
There was heavy police presence in Dhaka’s Mirpur industrial area today and reports of protests in the Savar, Ashulia, and Gazipur for the third day.
About 500 factories were temporarily closed after the protests began on Saturday.
Thousands of workers have taken to the streets, despite violent police responses, facing tear gas and sound grenades.
Bangladesh formed a new wage board on Sunday to review the minimum wage, and Prime Minister Tarique Rahman held an emergency meeting with ministers and advisers in response to the protests.
Workers are seeking a minimum monthly wage of 30,000 taka (£180), more than double the current 12,500 taka (£75).
The garment industry is worth about $38 billion (£28bn) and is a key source of export earnings and employment.
Factory owners said the industry is struggling with higher costs, energy market uncertainty during the US-Israel war on Iran and slowing demand in some export areas.
Bangladesh Garment and Industrial Workers Federation general secretary Babul Akhter said that Bangladesh had “among the lowest garment wages in the world.”
“If factory owners cannot pay workers properly, they should negotiate better prices with international buyers. They cannot build a business on the backs of underpaid workers,” he added.
Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association president Mahmud Hasan Khan said the government “has already taken a step by forming the wage board.”
“We expect workers to allow the review process to proceed,” he said.
If protests continue, “we will have no option but to invoke the ‘no work, no pay’ provision,” he added.