In Bangladesh, the minimum wage in the textile industry should be increased, although this is reportedly only half of what unions are demanding. This has now led to protests, including a bus being set on fire. “We fired tear gas to disperse them,” a police spokesman said.
Thousands of industry workers are said to have participated. Before the protests, false news spread on social media that union representatives had been arrested and that the minimum wage should only be increased by half as much as demanded, a police officer reported. On Tuesday, a committee convened by the government was expected to announce the amount of the new minimum wage.
The equivalent of a minimum wage of 70 euros
Garment workers in Bangladesh are poorly paid. Their minimum wage is currently 8,300 taka per month, which works out to about 70 euros. The union demands a tripling to 23,000 taka. The protests in the textile industry started early last week.
At least two dead
Since then, four factories have been set on fire, killing at least two people and injuring dozens of others. Tens of thousands of workers blocked roads and attacked factories. According to police, about 600 factories producing clothing for major Western brands have been closed.
Bangladesh’s capital, Dhaka, and its suburbs are an important center of the textile industry. Among the brands that produce there are Gap, H&M and Aldi. According to the unions, their production has also been affected so far.
Source: Krone
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