Bangladesh garment workers clash with police protesting higher wages

Thousands of Bangladeshi garment workers blocked a major highway and clashed with police on Monday, demanding a monthly minimum wage more than double current pay, as protests spread across industrial hubs.

Bangladesh is the world's second-biggest garment exporter behind China, manufacturing clothes for some of the largest international brands.

Hundreds of workers in Gazipur, north of the capital Dhaka, blocked the Dhaka-Tangail highway, vandalising several vehicles, while large groups took to the streets in the Mirpur district, where police dispersed demonstrators with tear gas, AFP reporters saw.

The protests came despite the government's announcement on Sunday that it would establish a wage board to review the minimum wage in the vital garment industry, which employs millions of people and generates the bulk of Bangladesh's export earnings.

But labour leaders say workers' grievances extend beyond the formation of the board, citing inflation and rising household expenses.

Protesters demand a 30,000-taka monthly pay ($241), which is more than double their current pay.

Workers currently earn about 13,000 taka a month, according to Kalpona Akter of the Bangladesh Center for Workers Solidarity.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman held an emergency cabinet meeting late Sunday.

"The prime minister... instructed us to ensure workers' rights and improve their living standards. He also instructed us to ensure that production and exports continue unhindered," Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed told reporters after the meeting.

"We are requesting law enforcement agencies to crack down on those involved in violence, unruly behaviour and unnecessary indiscipline and unrest," he added.

Kamrul Hasan, general secretary of the Ekota Garments Sramik Federation, told AFP Monday that some labour leaders had gone into hiding.

"We were not prepared for this unrest either, as the wage board has already been formed. But workers are now protesting over wages and other unresolved issues," he said.

Industry representatives who asked not to be identified confirmed that workers from at least 529 factories in Dhaka and its surrounding industrial areas, including Savar, Ashulia, Jirani and Gazipur, had left their workplaces yesterday.