As the death toll from last month’s violent protests reached four, hundreds of Bangladeshi garment workers rallied on Sunday, insisting on fair wages and dismissing a pay offer they deemed inadequate.
Tens of thousands of workers in Bangladesh are amid the worst labor unrest in a decade, clashing with police and demanding a nearly threefold increase in the minimum wage to 23,000 taka ($208). The turmoil has resulted in damage to numerous factories.
Contributing to around 85 percent of Bangladesh’s $55 billion in annual exports, the country’s 3,500 garment factories are crucial suppliers for many of the world’s top brands, including Levi’s, Zara, and H&M.
For the vast majority of the sector’s four million workers, predominantly women, conditions are dire. Until recently, their monthly pay started at 8,300 taka ($75).
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The sector’s wage was raised by 56.25 percent to 12,500 taka on Tuesday by a government-appointed panel. Despite this, garment workers have rejected the hike, leading to an escalation in protests and the ransacking of at least 70 factories.
Police announced on Saturday that Jalal Uddin, 42, a garment worker injured in clashes with officers in Gazipur earlier this month, passed away from his injuries.
With Uddin’s passing, the police reported that the number of fatalities in the protests has now reached four.
‘He died at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital. He was injured during a protest several days ago,’ Bacchu Mia, a police inspector, told AFP.
Uddin’s brother-in-law, Rezaul Karim, shared with reporters that Uddin had sustained a shotgun wound to the stomach and was transported to Dhaka for medical care.