ASHULIA, Bangladesh: In a tumultuous clash on Tuesday, Bangladeshi law enforcement faced off against throngs of garment labourers who were fervently demanding equitable compensation for the garments they produce on behalf of prominent Western brands.
This confrontation unfolded just one day after similar demonstrations claimed the lives of at least two individuals.
Authorities disclosed that tens of thousands of labourers at multiple factories initiated strikes in Ashulia and Gazipur, the country’s largest industrial hub. Tear gas and rubber bullets were deployed by law enforcement as agitators vandalized factories and obstructed roadways.
Gazipur, a city housing over a thousand factories, is a hub for the production of clothing for renowned brands like H&M and Gap.
Al Kamran, a prominent union leader in the Ashulia region, remarked, “Workers have taken to the streets as their earnings no longer suffice to cover the escalating costs of essential food items.”
Bangladesh, renowned as one of the world’s leading garment exporters, is heavily reliant on this industry, which constitutes a substantial 85 percent of the country’s annual exports, totalling $55 billion.
However, the plight of many of its four million apparel workers remains grim. Mahmud Naser, the deputy police chief of the Ashulia industrial area, revealed, “Around 15,000 workers have joined protests in various locations within Ashulia, all demanding an increase in wages.” Union leader Kamran disputed this number, claiming that approximately 50,000 workers in Ashulia alone have downed their tools, primarily due to soaring living costs.
He highlighted that the prices of staple foods such as potatoes and onions have more than doubled since the previous year. Concurrently, housing rents have surged, while wages have stagnated.
Taslima Akter, the head of the Garment Sramik Samhati union, lamented the compensation offered by manufacturers, deeming it “inferior to what workers received in 2017,” when accounting for inflation and currency devaluation.
In response to the protests, demonstrators resorted to burning tires, vandalizing factory premises, and blocking a critical highway that links the industrial area with the capital city of Dhaka. Law enforcement retaliated with rubber bullets and tear gas, according to Deputy Chief Naser, although there were no reports of injuries.
These protests initially erupted early last week but escalated into violence on Monday when a large number of workers left their shifts to stage demonstrations in Gazipur. Tragically, a six-story factory was set ablaze by workers, resulting in the death of one labourer, while another lost their life during clashes between the police and protesters.
Bangladesh is home to roughly 3,500 garment factories, producing clothing for some of the world’s most prominent retailers and brands. Nonetheless, the basic monthly wage for labourers remains a mere 8,300 taka ($75). Labour unions contend that the workers took to the streets due to their dissatisfaction with the manufacturers’ association’s offer of a 25 percent wage increase, which falls short of their demand for a new monthly minimum basic wage of 23,000 taka, a nearly threefold rise.
While Bangladesh’s per capita income has overtaken that of its neighbour, India, thanks to the substantial growth of the garment industry over the past two decades, wage protests now pose a significant challenge for Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who has maintained a firm grip on the country since 2009. As elections loom on the horizon, her government has established a committee this year tasked with determining a new minimum wage.
