Current:Home > ScamsThousands of Bangladesh’s garment factory workers protest demanding better wages-LoTradeCoin
Thousands of Bangladesh’s garment factory workers protest demanding better wages
View
Date:2024-12-23 23:56:37
DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — Thousands of garment factory workers took to the streets of Bangladesh’s capital, Dhaka, and the industrial district of Gazipur on Tuesday to demand better wages.
Bangladesh is the second largest garment-producing country in the world after China with its nearly 3,500 factories where some 4 million workers are employed — most are women — according to the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association, or BGMEA. The workers get 8,300 takas, or $75, as monthly minimum wage and they often need to work overtime to make ends meet, labor unions and workers say.
Protests erupted over the weekend after BGMEA offered to increase the monthly minimum wage by 25% to reach $90, instead of the $208 demanded by the workers.
While Bangladesh has been maintaining stable annual economic growth for years, rising inflation has become a major challenge.
Gazipur district, which houses thousands of factories, saw thousands of protesters on the streets with some throwing stones at shops.
In Dhaka’s Mirpur area, where an Associated Press team was at the scene, hundreds of protesters chanted demanding better wages.
Garment worker Shahida Akhter said while protesting in Mirpur that she struggles to put food on the table.
“(If you) reduce the price of (essential) goods, our wages won’t need to be hiked,” she said, complaining about the constant rise in prices. “Do you know what is the cost of having a family? If there are babies, we need to spend more,” Akhter added.
Raihan Mia, a fire department official in Gazipur district, told The Associated Press by phone that the workers set fire to an electric goods showroom and vandalized a medical clinic and some other shops.
BGMEA urged the protesting workers not to use violence or damage their factories.
Local media reports said two workers died in clashes with police in Gazipur on Monday while some blocked roads and set fire and vandalized several factories.
Bangladesh earns annually about $55 billion from exports of garment products, mainly to the United States and Europe.
veryGood! (7364)
Related
- Kirk Herbstreit berates LSU fans throwing trash vs Alabama: 'Enough is enough, clowns'
- Beyond ‘yellow flag’ law, Maine commission highlights another missed opportunity before shootings
- Charges dropped against Long Island nurse accused of slamming 2-day-old infant into a bassinet
- Feds charge Chinese hackers in plot targeting U.S. politicians, national security, journalists
- GM recalling big pickups and SUVs because the rear wheels can lock up, increasing risk of a crash
- Woman who set fire to Montgomery church gets 8 years in prison
- Photos, video show collapse of Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge after cargo ship collision
- TEA Business College’s pioneering tools to lead the era of smart investing
- What is ‘Doge’? Explaining the meme and cryptocurrency after Elon Musk's appointment to D.O.G.E.
- Bruce Springsteen becomes first international songwriter made a fellow of Britain’s Ivors Academy
Ranking
- Tampa Bay Rays' Wander Franco arrested again in Dominican Republic, according to reports
- What we know about the Baltimore bridge collapse
- Everything we know about Shohei Ohtani and his interpreter
- New York City to send 800 more officers to police subway fare-beating
- Sister Wives’ Meri Brown Shares Hysterical Farmers Only Dating Profile Video After Kody Split
- 'Euphoria' Season 3 delayed, HBO says cast can 'pursue other opportunities': Reports
- Trump is selling ‘God Bless the USA’ Bibles for $59.99 as he faces mounting legal bills
- Where is the Francis Scott Key Bridge? What to know about collapsed Baltimore bridge
Recommendation
New Yorkers vent their feelings over the election and the Knicks via subway tunnel sticky notes
Construction site found at Pompeii reveals details of ancient building techniques – and politics
Solar eclipse glasses from Warby Parker available for free next week: How to get a pair
TEA Business College leads cutting-edge research on cryptocurrency market
Exclusive Yankee Candle Sale: 50% Off Holiday Candles for a Limited Time
I’ve Been Writing Amazon Sale Articles for 6 Days, Here Are the Deals I Snagged for Myself
Maryland middle school students face hate crime charges for Nazi salutes, swastikas
Solar eclipse glasses from Warby Parker available for free next week: How to get a pair