Dozens of textile factories working for major Western clothing groups have halted production in Bangladesh. The factories have to close their doors due to worker protests. A union representative said this.
In Bangladesh, thousands of workers have taken to the streets to demand higher wages. The demonstrations sometimes lead to violence. Factories, buses and shops were damaged in the industrial districts of Gazipur and Ashulia, near the capital Dhaka.
According to the police, at least three hundred factories have had to close their doors due to the protest. Trade union chairman Kalpona Akter even speaks of around six hundred closed sites. This includes some of “the largest factories in the country, supplying all the major Western brands,” such as Gap, Walmart, H&M, Zara, Levi’s, Marks and Spencer, Primark and Aldi, Akter said.
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According to police, the violent demonstrations have already claimed the lives of at least two workers. Dozens of people have been injured. The angry workers want the minimum monthly wage to be almost tripled, from 8,300 taka (70 euros) to 23,000 taka (190 euros). According to them, this wage increase is necessary to absorb the significant increase in living costs.
The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association, which unites factory owners, had proposed a wage increase of only 25 percent.
Bangladesh is the second largest clothing producer in the world after China. Nearly four million people, mostly women, work in about 3,500 factories in the country. The sector is one of the most important sources of income for Bangladesh.
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2023-11-03 19:13:39
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