Workers clash with police in garment rally
DHAKA: Angry Bangladeshi garment workers blocked roads, set factories alight and clashed with police for a third day yesterday as protests demanding a minimum monthly wage of US$100 (3,120 baht) spread outside the capital Dhaka.
Abdul Baten, police chief of the Gazipur industrial district near Dhaka which is home to hundreds of factories, said ‘‘up to 200,000 workers’’ had joined the latest demonstrations.
His deputy Mustafizur Rahman said about 300 factories, which make clothing for top Western retailers such as Walmart, were shut yesterday to contain the violence as protesting workers attacked plants that stayed open.
‘‘The situation is extremely volatile. Police fired rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse the unruly workers,’’ he said, adding workers attacked more than a dozen factories with rocks.
Dozens of workers and several policemen were injured, he added.
Manufacturers said yesterday’s protests were some of the worst in the sector since 2010 when months of demonstrations forced the government and factory owners to agree to a minimum monthly wage of $38.
Bangladeshi textile workers are among the worst paid in the sector worldwide, and often toil for 80 hours a week in factories which are vulnerable to fires.
Protests have gained in intensity since April when a factory complex collapsed, killing more than 1,100 people in one of the world’s worst industrial disasters.
Union leader Shahidul Islam Sabuj threatened to hold non-stop protests unless the wages are hiked. ‘‘$100 is the minimum we have asked for. A worker needs much more than that to lead a decent life,’’ he said.
Bangladesh is the world’s secondlargest garment exporter with apparel shipments accounting for 80% of its $27 billion annual exports.
Thousands of workers also attacked a camp of a reserve police force, injuring three officers and breaking three rifles, senior officer Rafiqul Islam said.