At least one person died on Sunday in clashes between Bangladeshi garment factory workers and police, according to local media.
The death, in the south-east harbour city of Chittagong, came after protests by the workers, who say that their employers have failed to implement a recent increase in the minimum wage. Another 60 workers were wounded in protests. Further demonstrations were reported in the capital, Dhaka, where 125 persons were reported hurt.
Workers put up barricades, set fire to cars, halting morning traffic for at least three hours on the road linking the capital to the airport, according to witnesses. A group of garment workers took to the streets around 8 am claiming that salaries for November, which they received at the beginning of December, were not in line with the new minimum wage of 3,000 taka ($42) per month, up from 1,662 taka. The increased rate was due to take effect from November 1.
The clashes followed demonstrations over the past week in the cities of Narayanganj, Savar, Gazipur and Chittagong as well as Dhaka. In Chittagong on Saturday, at least 15 people were injured amid protests by workers at a factory operated by the Korean YoungOne group. Police used tear gas and batons to disperse the demonstrators. The company closed the factory on Sunday as fresh demonstrations began by the workers, demanding the reopening of the factory and the raising of their wages.
The textile industry employs more than 3 million in Bangladesh, making it one of the country’s most important economic engines.
