Bangladesh is the world’s second largest garment exporter after China. The country’s 3,500 garment factories – which supply clothes to global companies such as Zara, Levi’s and H&M – account for 85% of the country’s annual export earnings of €51 billion.

In the industries mainly women work, with an average monthly salary 8,300 Taka (70 euros).

On Tuesday, the minimum wage committee of the textile sector announced a 56.25% increase in the basic monthly wage of four million workers in the sector, raising it to 12,500 taka (104 euros), however the unions called this amount “ridiculous” and rejected the proposal.

Garment workers, who have been protesting for two weeks, are demanding almost a tripling of their wages

Wild incidents with dead and injured

Police in Bangladesh announced today what he did use of plastic bullets and tear gas against the thousands of workers in the country’s garment industries which are still to protest the “ridiculous” increase in their minimum wage.

For their part, labor unions spoke of intimidation and arrests of their members.

According to the police, at least three workers have been killed since the protests began and five police officers have been injured.

Bangladesh Garment Protest

Violent incidents broke out in the industrial city of Ghazipurnorth of the capital Dhaka, where a thousand protesters shouted: “we want 23,000 taka” (190 euros).

“Workers tried to block” a road “and we had to fire tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the crowd,” said Gazipur deputy police chief Ashok Kumar Pal.

According to the police, protesters burned piles of wood and threw bricks and stones at law enforcement.

Bangladesh Garment Protest

Many thousands of workers walked off the job at factories in Asulia, a northern suburb of Dhaka.to demonstrate, said a police inspector.
The Bangladeshi government is accused of arresting and intimidating labor union officials.

“Police arrested Mohammad Jewell, one of our union officials,” said Rashedul Alam Razoo, secretary general of the Bangladesh Independent Garment Workers’ Federation, clarifying that “a local official” has also been arrested.

“Union officials and activists receive threats from the police” order to stop the protests, another senior union official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said “at least six unionists” have also been arrested.

The US called the Bangladeshi authorities on Wednesday “to review the decision on the minimum wage” in order to respond to “the increasing economic pressures facing workers”.