Textile protests in Bangladesh: Woman shot dead during demonstration in Bangladesh

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A government-appointed committee on Tuesday announced a 56.25 percent increase in the minimum wage from December, but unions immediately rejected this as “unacceptable.”

Call for a tripling of the minimum wage

With the announced increase, the new minimum wage would be the equivalent of 104 euros. However, the unions demand a minimum of 190 euros per month. Workers have been demonstrating for two weeks, sometimes violently. According to police reports, another 4,000 people took to the streets in Gazipur on Wednesday. “They threw stones at factory buildings, cars and police officers. We used tear gas to disperse them,” the local police chief told AFP.

A police official also confirmed the death of a woman in Gazipur, but gave no further details on the circumstances. “The police opened fire and she was hit in the head,” said Mohammad Jamal, husband of seamstress Anjuara Khatun. The 23-year-old mother of two took part in a demonstration along with 400 other textile workers. “Six to seven people were injured by gunfire,” her husband said.

The minimum wage in the textile industry in Bangladesh is currently 8,300 taka (the equivalent of about 70 euros). In recent weeks, protesters have called for a near tripling to 23,000 taka due to the sharp increase in the cost of living. The minimum wage committee with representatives of employers, trade unions and wage experts decided to increase this to 12,500 taka.

Production for western brands

According to police, dozens of workshops and factories were destroyed and some set on fire during last week’s protests. The protesters also repeatedly block roads. The police responded harshly. She fires tear gas and rubber bullets to break up the demonstrations. Two people had already died.

Bangladesh’s capital, Dhaka, and its suburbs are an important center of the textile industry. Many Western brands such as Gap, H&M and Aldi have clothing manufactured there; according to the unions, their production was affected by the protests. According to police, about 600 factories that produce clothing for major Western brands have been closed due to the protests.

(AFP)

Source: Blick