Bangladesh Garment Workers Clash with Police Over Wage Demand

Dhaka (GNP): Thousands of Bangladeshi garment workers blocked a major highway and clashed with police on Monday, demanding a monthly minimum wage of more than double their current pay as protests spread across the country’s industrial hubs.

The unrest matters well beyond Dhaka. Bangladesh, home to 170 million people, is the world’s second-biggest garment exporter after China, and its factories make clothes for some of the largest international brands.

The violence was widest in Gazipur, north of the capital, where hundreds of workers blocked the Dhaka-Tangail highway and vandalised several vehicles. In the Mirpur district, large groups took to the streets and police dispersed them with tear gas, while angry workers set fire to a police vehicle. In Ashulia, a Dhaka suburb that hosts some of the country’s largest factories, police fired stun grenades and tear gas to break up crowds.

The protests came despite a government announcement on Sunday that it would set up a wage board to review the minimum wage in the industry. Labour leaders say the workers’ grievances go beyond the formation of the board and point to inflation and rising household expenses.

The gap between pay and demand is wide. Protesters want 30,000 taka a month, while workers currently earn about 13,000 taka, according to Kalpona Akter of the Bangladesh Centre for Workers Solidarity.

Workers say daily costs explain the anger. Mamum, a 28-year-old factory worker, said food prices, cooking gas and electricity bills have all gone up, and that the government must either lower the prices of essentials or raise wages. In Ashulia, tear gas drifted into densely packed housing where families often live crammed into single rooms. A 24-year-old worker who gave only the name Kamona said police fired tear gas shells inside her compound.

The government has responded with both a warning and an assurance. Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed said after meeting industry leaders on Monday that those engaging in unlawful activities under the guise of labour movements would be tackled with an “iron hand”. He also said Prime Minister Tarique Rahman had instructed officials, after an emergency cabinet meeting late on Sunday, to ensure workers’ rights and improve their living standards, while making sure production and exports continue unhindered.

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Employers are watching the disruption closely. The main garment and knitwear manufacturer associations warned that prolonged unrest could disrupt production, delay export shipments and affect Bangladesh’s commitments to international buyers. Industry representatives said workers from at least 529 factories in Dhaka and its surrounding industrial areas, including Savar, Ashulia, Jirani and Gazipur, had already left their workplaces on Sunday.

Labour leaders say they were caught off guard as well. Kamrul Hasan, general secretary of the Ekota Garments Sramik Federation, said some labour leaders had gone into hiding. He added that the unrest was unexpected because the wage board had already been formed, but that workers were now protesting over wages and other unresolved issues.

Machine operator Sharmin, 24, said, “We keep the wheels of the economy turning.”