Bangladesh Garment Workers' Protests Intensify As Proposed Pay Hike Falls Short Of Expectations

Bangladesh, the world's second-largest garment manufacturing hub after China, remains paralyzed amidst violent clashes between garment workers and the police.

Around 25,000 garment workers clashed with the police in Bangladesh on Thursday, as protesters continued to demand an increase in wages for the country's four million garment workers.

The workers, who make clothes that hang on the racks of Gap, Walmart, H&M, Zara, Levi's, Marks and Spencer, Primark and other top names in fashion, currently make about $95 a month. Their current demand of $208 a month in wages -- less than what Americans would receive at the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour before taxes -- was met with a pitiful response Tuesday after the country's wage board announced an increase of $113 a month, set to take effect Dec. 1.

Protesters rejected the pay rise and were met with tear gas and rubber bullets from the police, which led to the death of a garment worker Wednesday as they tried to break up protests.

The death since the beginning of the protests now stands at three. Factories have been ransacked and many have sustained injuries in clashes with the police over the last couple of weeks.

The pay rise announced Tuesday is "not acceptable," said Nazma Akter, president of the Sommilito Garments Sramik Federation, one of Bangladesh's largest unions.

"We feel that the workers of the garment industry have been made a mockery of" by the board's Tuesday announcement of the proposed the minimum wage," Sommilito Garments Sramik Federation said in their statement.

"The way things are going on, it's not only capitalism [but] also slavery," Akter told International Business Times.

Although notable improvements have been made over the past decade in terms of safety, health and labor conditions, Akter says the conditions are still not optimal for workers, most of whom are women.

"Women workers are the backbone of this economy but their life is very bad," Akter said.

"They are working long hours with no respect" and face "gender-based violence, sexual harassment and abuse. [Their] freedom of association and collective bargaining rights are very low," Akter said.

"They need to work 10-12 hours because Bangladesh's cost of living is very high. Therefore, garment workers need to work everyday for 12 hours or 14 hours for 7 days a week ... Women are not getting sufficient nutrition, there is hunger. They retire at a very early age because of the long working hours and poor working conditions," she added.

"Even their children don't have proper food, proper education. Their mental and physical growth is also challenged. House rent is so expensive," Akter said.

Facing intimidation and violence at the workplace is common for Bangladesh's garment workers. Due to high demand and the pressure for production, factory owners sometimes cut corners on sanitation and ventilation and subject their workers to hostile work environments. A 2019 report said 80% of garment workers in Bangladesh have experienced or witnessed sexual violence and harassment at work, with 90% saying their job is negatively impacting their health.

Bangladesh's garment workers also do not enjoy consistent pay hikes. The last time an increase in minimum wage was announced was in 2018.

While prices of everyday items are soaring in Bangladesh, having the same salary for about half a decade has forced workers to work overtime to make ends meet.

"Workers want a minimum wage that provides a decent living standard for their family, accounts for inflation, and offers them a bigger share of Bangladesh's steadily growing GDP, which is driven primarily by textile and garment exports," Fair Labor Association president and CEO Sharon Waxman told IBT.

"Consumer prices in Bangladesh have increased almost 10% this year, following an average of almost 7% over the past five years, so workers were hoping for a minimum wage increase that would offset losses caused by inflation. The country's GDP per capita increased to $2,620 this year (compared to $2,150 in 2019, the last time the minimum wage was raised), and workers do not believe this growth has been adequately reflected in wage increases over the past five years," Waxman added.

The textile industry is Bangladesh's greatest contributor to the national GDP. The readymade garment segment has been the main driver of Bangladesh's economic growth for decades and is key to the country's economic stability.

"The fashion industry is the most important contributor to the economy and for the development of the country," Karl Borgschulze, managing director of Consulting Service International Ltd. (CSI), which has worked with Bangladesh garment worker groups over the years, told IBT.

"Without the textile industry, the situation would be completely different. Millions of people would be without jobs, affecting millions of families. That is no scenario we are looking for," he said.

Borgschulze also noted that other countries have fixed patterns of pay hikes for factory workers, which was certainly necessary, but missing in Bangladesh.

"In Bangladesh they never came to this pattern. That is why the pressure always builds up. So if you wait three, four years, especially in a situation like now, then the pressure builds up and then you have unrest again. It's unfortunate and maybe one solution would be to discuss wages at least every two years and have a fixed pattern behind that," he said.

In addition to the increase in wages, Bangladesh garment workers are also asking for subsidies in everyday items as well.

"Hunger is not the solution. Exploitation is not the solution. People need to be respected. Therefore, all the brands have to be responsible with buying and sourcing. They have to pay fair. The company has to respect their rights. Government has to do the housing, education, health, subsidized food, recreation. All kinds of things need to be established," Akter said.