Tens of thousands of textile workers have demonstrated on the streets of Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka in recent days. Their demand: a significant increase in the minimum wage.
Police tear gas flies into the crowd of demonstrators. Not far from the crowd, a bus is on fire. There is chaos on the streets of Dhaka. The anger of workers in the textile industry is palpable. Many of them live at or even below the poverty line. The same minimum wage of 8,000 taka per month has applied to them for years. That’s the equivalent of around 68 euros.
“I have a wife and a child,” says textile worker Nayeem Islam. He is very worried about the future of his family and doesn’t know how they will survive in the long term with the little money they have. “Every month I have to take out a loan to feed them,” said the 28-year-old. “That’s why I’ve now accumulated almost 1,000 euros in debt.”
The importance of the textile industry is enormous
The last wage increase was five years ago. Since then, Bangladesh has struggled with high inflation. Many employees find it difficult to meet everyday costs. That is why the demonstrators are demanding that the wage be increased from 68 euros to the equivalent of around 195 euros.
Hundreds of factories in the country had to temporarily close due to the demonstrations.
The textile industry is one of the most important economic sectors in Bangladesh. There are more than 3,500 factories. The sector is responsible for around 85 percent of all exports with a total value of more than 43 billion euros. Whether cheap brands or luxury labels: A large number of manufacturers have clothing produced in Bangladesh. Now it is time for this importance to be reflected in the workers’ salaries, said Amirul Haque Amin, president of the textile workers’ union.
Employers offer a wage increase of 25 percent
Around 4.4 million people in Bangladesh, many of them women, work in the textile industry. “The protests have made the government and textile associations realize that people are fighting back and not just accepting everything,” says Amin. “We hope that those responsible will come to an understanding and that the wages of people who work in the textile industry will finally increase.”
A man is taken away by police officers during protests in Dhaka.
At least two people have died in the protests so far. More than 400 factories had to temporarily close. Factory owners complain that demonstrators have sometimes set fires and caused significant damage to their facilities.
“195 euros a month is not too much to ask for”
Many textile workers see the protests as the only form of resistance. “I don’t understand why companies can’t pay us appropriately,” says 30-year-old textile worker Nasima. “They export clothes abroad, where they are sold at high prices.”
The textile association in Bangladesh has now made an initial offer to increase the minimum wage. Employees should then receive 25 percent more salary. For most people, this is still far too little. “We will demonstrate until our demands are met,” said Nayeem Islam. “195 euros a month is really not too much to ask.” The protests are likely to continue until an agreement is reached.