11,000 workers charged as 150 Bangladesh garment factories close

A government-appointed panel increased the sector’s wage by 56.25 per cent to 12,500 taka. Despite this, garment workers rejected the wage hike and insisted on a minimum wage of 23,000 taka.

Bangladeshi garment manufacturers announced the indefinite closure of 150 factories, revealing that police had issued blanket charges against 11,000 workers in connection with the violent protests that were demanding a higher minimum wage.

The country’s 3,500 garment factories, constituting approximately 85 per cent of its annual exports worth $ 55 billion and supplying major global brands such as Levi’s, Zara, and H&M, were affected. However, the working conditions for the sector’s four million employees, the majority of whom are women, have been challenging. Until recently, their monthly pay began at 8,300 taka ($75).

Last month, violent protests broke out, resulting in at least three worker fatalities and the ransacking or damage of over 70 factories, as reported by the police.

On November 14, a government-appointed panel increased the sector’s wage by 56.25 per cent to 12,500 taka. Despite this, garment workers rejected the wage hike and insisted on a minimum wage of 23,000 taka.