Bangladeshi textile workers rebel against low wages

In the South Asian country of Bangladesh, garment workers who produce clothes for brands around the world rebelled.

Garment workers in Bangladesh began organizing protests last week to demand wage increases. Although the government gave workers a raise, they considered the proposed increase insufficient and protests continued. One person died in the protests.

Thousands of textile workers went on strike and stopped production since last weekend. More than 300 factories across the country temporarily stopped operations.

PRODUCTION BASE OF FAMOUS CLOTHING BRANDS

Bangladesh is the world’s second largest garment producer after China, with around 3,500 factories employing approximately 4 million workers, most of them women. Many famous brands like Gap, Walmart, H&M, Zara, Inditex, Bestseller, Levi’s, Marks and Spencer, Primark and Aldi produce their products in Bangladesh.

Despite being a major supplier of clothing to fast fashion brands, Bangladesh has one of the world’s lowest minimum wages for garment workers, set at 8,000 taka ($74) as of 2018.

SALARY DISPUTE

Following deadly clashes between garment workers and police, the Bangladesh government said on Tuesday that the minimum wage would increase by 56.25 percent monthly to 12,500 taka ($114) starting December 1. This was the first increase in five years.

Unions believe that 23,000 taka ($208) a month is needed to cover basic living costs due to inflation and the cost of living crisis.

Separately, it was announced that a worker was killed and many people were injured in clashes between police and garment workers in Bangladesh on Wednesday.

WAGES ARE BELOW THE HUNGER LINE

Garment worker Rojina Akter, who took part in the protests, told The Guardian that her salary did not cover the cost of basic food and she felt helpless as costs continued to rise.

Akter stated: “With the increase in inflation, the salary I receive is insufficient. Many times, on my way home from work, I had to sneak into the field to buy vegetables to feed my children. “Famine is next,” she said.

THE TEXTILE INDUSTRY IS THE STRUCTURE OF THE COUNTRY

Low wages in the industry create miserable conditions for 4 million workers in approximately 4,000 factories supplying global brands such as H&M and GAP. The low wage policy also makes Bangladesh’s textile industry competitive in the global market.

On the other hand, many fashion brands that supply clothing from Bangladesh announced that they support workers’ demands for higher minimum wages. The brands, including Inditex, said in a joint letter that they recognized their role in “supporting wage improvements.”

The garment industry is the mainstay of Bangladesh’s economy, accounting for nearly 16 percent of the Gross Domestic Product. Bangladesh earns approximately $55 billion annually from the export of ready-made garments, especially to the US and European countries. Annual inflation in the country is 9.93 percent.