With a minimum wage of just US$75 (around 71 euros; 8,300 Bangladeshi taka) per month, Bangladesh is one of the lowest-wage countries in the garment industry, which produces ready-made garments (RMGs) for export.
The debate over raising the minimum wage to a living wage reached a boiling point as tens of thousands of garment workers clashed with police in manufacturing centers such as Gazipur around the capital Dhaka. Unions across Bangladesh are proposing a minimum wage of $208 (around 196 euros; 23,000 taka).
Unions vote for a minimum wage of around 200 euros
According to police and fire departments, protesters set fire to the AMB Fashions factory in Konabari, a member factory of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA). “A worker at ABM Fashions died due to suffocation after the fire spread to the first three floors,” Gazipur Fire Department chief Abdullah Al Arefin told AFP.
According to non-profit organization Remake, 25-year-old maintenance mechanic Md Rasel Hawlader, who works at Design Express Ltd. was shot dead by Bangladesh police on Monday. Hawlader was a member of the Design Express Sommilito Sramik union, which is affiliated with the Sommilito Garments Sramik Federation union.
“The workers protested in front of the factory for the minimum wage of 23,000 taka, as they have been doing for several days in all RMG factories. Rasel was inside turning off the boiler, fans and lights and wasn’t even part of the protest. When he came out, there were already clashes between workers and the police. The protesting workers claim that they did not destroy anything, and yet they were severely beaten by the police. Rasel rushed to a nearby gas station, fearing for his safety, and was chased and gunned down by police. A worker who stood next to him reported that he begged for his life. The police insisted on taking him to Dhaka Medical Hospital, where he later died,” Nazma Akter, president of Sommilito Garments Sramik Federation, reported, according to Remake.
Bangladesh is the second largest RMG exporter after China and employs more than 4.4 million workers, 70 percent of whom are women. The RMG sector accounts for over 80 percent of the country’s total export earnings and contributes more than 11 percent to the gross domestic product.