‘Going hungry’: Garment workers in Bangladesh say wages barely cover needs
Summary
Garment workers in Bangladesh say rising living costs have made their wages insufficient for food, housing and education. Workers have protested for a higher minimum wage, while police used tear gas and stun grenades to disperse demonstrators; the government has formed a wage board to review their demands.Key Facts
- Laili Begum, an experienced sewing operator, earns about 15,000 taka a month, rising to 18,000–20,000 taka with overtime.
- Begum’s two children left school earlier this year because she could not afford their education.
- Workers are demanding a minimum monthly wage of 30,000 taka, up from the current 12,500 taka.
- Police fired tear gas and stun grenades at a protest in Ashulia and arrested dozens of people.
- The garment manufacturers’ association said protests disrupted 529 factories on Sunday and affected nearly one million workers.
- The government announced a six-member wage board to review workers’ demands.
- Bangladesh’s ready-made garment sector accounts for more than 80 percent of the country’s export earnings, which reached $39 billion in the last financial year.
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