Wage unrest grips Bangladesh garment sector; dozens of factories shut
Bangladesh is forming a wage board to address garment worker protests that have led to factory closures and clashes with police. Workers are demanding a significant increase in the minimum wage to cope with rising living costs.
Why it matters
As the world's second-largest garment exporter, instability in Bangladesh's textile sector has major implications for the global supply chain and international retail prices.
Bangladesh will constitute a wage board on Sunday to review salaries in its garment industry after protests over pay shortages disrupted factory operations, shut dozens of manufacturing units and led to clashes between workers and police.Garment workers are demanding a minimum monthly wage of 30,000 taka ($245), more than double the existing minimum of 12,500 taka. They say rising expenses on food, housing, transport and healthcare have significantly reduced their purchasing power.Labour and employment minister Ariful Haque Chowdhury said the government would formally set up the wage board following discussions with labour leaders and industry representatives in an effort to resolve the unrest, Reuters reported.The protests intensified on Saturday, with around 30 garment factories in Ashulia, a major manufacturing hub on the outskirts of Dhaka, declaring holidays, according to Mohammad Mominul Islam Bhuiyan, superintendent of the Ashulia Industrial Police.Hundreds of workers also blocked a major intersection in Dhaka, while demonstrations…
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