Police in Bangladesh fired tear gas and used stun grenades on Wednesday to disperse garment workers who have been protesting for higher minimum wages, according to police and witnesses. The demonstrations have led to hundreds of factories remaining shut, disrupting the country's garment industry, which earns approximately $40 billion annually from exports.
Workers are demanding a minimum monthly wage of 30,000 takas ($245), a substantial increase from the current 12,500 takas. They cite rising living costs and inflation as reasons for their demand, stating that their purchasing power has been diminished.
The garment industry in Bangladesh employs about 4 million workers, the majority of whom are women from rural areas. The protests have been particularly disruptive in several industrial areas on the outskirts of the capital, Dhaka.
In Fatullah, located in the Narayanganj district near Dhaka, dozens of people were reportedly injured in clashes between protesters and police. Local media also reported that police arrested several protesters in Fatullah. In Ashulia, a major industrial area in Savar near Dhaka, about 100 factories remain closed, according to Mominul Islam Bhuiyan, superintendent of Ashulia Industrial Police.
Workers have also blocked a major highway in the Gazipur district, another significant industrial hub. In Dhaka’s Mirpur area, an epicenter of recent protests, over 10,000 police officers have been deployed to maintain order, said Mahidul Islam, a joint police commissioner.
In response to the wage demands, the government has formed a new wage board. The chairman of this board, Syed Azad Subhani, stated that workers are expected to receive their first salaries under the new pay scale in January.