‘Starvation Is Next’: Violent Protests Engulf Bangladesh As Garment Workers Demand Higher Wages

 

Bangladesh is a significant supplier of garments to fast fashion retailers. However, it has one of the lowest minimum pay for garment workers, which has been unchanged since 2018 at 8,000 taka ($73).

Tens of thousands of workers have demonstrated over the last week, according to unions and news sources, killing at least one young textile worker.

Rasel Hawlader, 26, was slain in police firing last month while protesting for pay and allowances in the Maleker Bari district of Gazipur’s Basan police station.

Garment workers who make clothes for high-end companies say they are starving and must steal and scavenge food from fields and trash to feed their children.

The Bangladeshi Ministry of Labour and Employment has recommended a new monthly minimum pay of 12,500 taka ($113) for the 4 million-strong garment workforce.

However, it is much less than the 23,000 taka ($208) that workers’ unions claim is the bare minimum required to meet basic living expenses in the face of spiraling inflation.

According to Monnujan Sufian, the state minister for labor and jobs, the government was in talks and was even considering ration cards to help with living expenses.