OMM Newsroom
Hundreds of garment factories in Bangladesh have been forced to close following days of protests by workers seeking higher wages, according to the BBC.
Protests in the capital, Dhaka, turned violent on Sunday, with demonstrators blocking roads, damaging factories and setting vehicles on fire. They also clashed with police, who fired tear gas to disperse the crowds. Police later said dozens of protesters had been arrested.
Workers are seeking a minimum monthly wage of 30,000 taka ($242; £180), more than twice the current standard, citing rising living costs.
Bangladesh’s textile industry employs about four million people and produces garments for major international brands, including “H&M”, “Primark” and “Uniqlo”. The sector generates nearly $40bn annually, accounting for about 10% of the country’s GDP.
Bangladesh is the world’s second-largest garment exporter after China, but its garment workers are among the lowest-paid globally, earning around 13,000 taka ($105; £78) a month.
There are concerns that prolonged unrest could disrupt production and affect international buyers, the state news agency BSS reported.
“We want the government to accept our demands and increase our wages. [And] they need to instruct landlords and homeowners not to raise rent and ensure that the prices of essential commodities remain affordable,” a female worker told BBC Bangla.
“Food prices, cooking gas and electricity bills have all gone up,” Mamun, a 28-year-old factory worker, told AFP. “The government must either bring down the prices of essential commodities or raise our wages.”
The government announced on Sunday that it had set up a board to review workers’ wages. Prime Minister Tarique Rahman also held an emergency meeting with ministers to address the unrest.
Demonstrations continued on Monday in Dhaka and nearby manufacturing hubs, including Ashulia, Gazipur and Narayanganj. Around 670 factories suspended operations that day, according to reports by Reuters and AFP, while hundreds of factories in the areas were due to remain closed on Tuesday.
At least 29 protesters had been arrested by Monday, Dhaka police Deputy Commissioner Mohidul Islam said. He warned that those creating an “unstable environment in the garment factories” would face the law.
Authorities have accused the Awami League, the banned party of former leader Sheikh Hasina, of exploiting the protests to instigate violence, but provided no evidence for the allegation.
Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed threatened punitive action against protesters seeking to “destabilise the country” under the “guise of labour protests”.
Babul Akhter, a workers’ representative on the wage board, urged protesters to return to work on Monday and pledged to “fight for [their] fair wages”.
“I tell my fellow workers, return to work. Don’t give in to anyone’s incitement,” he said.
