DHAKA: Bangladesh will establish a wage board on Sunday to review garment workers’ salaries following protests that forced dozens of factories to suspend operations and led to clashes with police.
Workers are demanding a minimum monthly wage of 30,000 taka (around $245), more than double the existing 12,500 taka, arguing that rising food, housing, transport and healthcare costs have significantly reduced their purchasing power.
The unrest has raised concerns about disruptions to Bangladesh’s garment industry, which employs around four million people, accounts for more than 80 percent of the country’s export earnings and supplies clothing to major international brands.
Labour and Employment Minister Ariful Haque Chowdhury said the government would formally constitute the wage board after consultations with labour leaders and industry representatives to address the dispute.
Saturday’s demonstrations prompted around 30 garment factories in Ashulia, a major manufacturing hub near Dhaka, to announce temporary closures, according to Mohammad Mominul Islam Bhuiyan, superintendent of Ashulia Industrial Police.
Hundreds of workers also blocked a major intersection in the capital, while protests in other industrial areas disrupted traffic and factory operations.
Police said several people, including officers, were injured during clashes with protesters in Ashulia. Security personnel used tear gas and sound grenades to disperse the demonstrators.
Chowdhury urged workers to resume their duties, saying the government’s decision to review the wage structure addressed their primary demand.
He warned that prolonged factory closures and production delays could affect export shipments and payments from international buyers, creating further difficulties for both manufacturers and workers.
Bangladesh’s ready-made garment sector, the world’s second-largest after China, contributes around 10 percent of the country’s gross domestic product and remains a key pillar of its economy.