Textile workers protest in Bangladesh, violence erupted in 3 places: Protesters pelted stones at police, set vehicles on fire; Demanding salary hike

Workers of garment factories staged demonstrations in three areas, including Bangladesh's capital Dhaka, on Sunday demanding an increase in wages. During this time, violence also took place in many places. Workers blocked roads in Dhaka's Mirpur area. Protesters threw bricks and stones at the police and set fire to a police vehicle. In Ghazipur, workers blocked the highway and set fire to a police post. At least 30 factories remained closed in Ashulia. The workers are demanding that their minimum monthly wage be increased from Rs 9,600 to about Rs 23,000. 3 Pictures related to the protest Police lathicharged, also used tear gas On Sunday morning, workers gathered at Dhaka's Mirpur-10 Chowk. During this time, they blocked the roads. This also led to clashes between the workers and the police. According to the police, some laborers attacked the policemen. The police then resorted to lathicharge. Tear gas was also used to disperse the crowd. In view of the tension, the gate of Mirpur-10 metro station had to be closed. On Saturday too, the workers blocked roads in the same area for about four hours. Protests also started in the Kaliakair area of Ghazipur, north of Dhaka, on Sunday morning. Protesters set fire to a police post in Ghazipur's Konabadi area. The administration announced the deployment of five platoons of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) to control the situation. Factory management declares holiday Workers also staged a protest in the industrial area of Ashulia, near Dhaka, on Saturday. Work was stopped in many factories. There was vandalism in some places. As the situation deteriorated, the factory management declared a holiday. According to separate reports, at least 30 factories in the area remained closed. The Bangladesh government on Sunday formed a six-member wage board amid protests involving labor unions in the wage fixing board. Its job is to fix the new minimum salary for the workers of the garment factories. Labor Minister Ariful Haque Chowdhury said that the board will decide the new salary as soon as possible. It has included factory owners, labor unions and an independent representative. The government has appealed to the workers to clear the roads and return to work. The minimum monthly wage of garment factories in Bangladesh was fixed at around Rs 9,600 in December 2023. The workers say that even after adding overtime, they can only get around Rs 14,000 to Rs 15,000, which is not enough to run the house. According to him, the house rent which was around Rs 2,000 a few years ago has now increased to Rs 6,000. The cost of food, treatment and education of children has also increased. For this reason, the workers are demanding a minimum wage of Rs 30,000. The government has already set up a wage board, but it is not yet decided how much the salary will be increased and when the new rates will be implemented. More than 40 lakh textile workers in Bangladesh According to the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), there are about 4,000 registered textile factories in the country. More than 40 lakh people work in them. Bangladesh is the second largest exporter of textiles in the world after China. Bangladesh's textiles are sold in more than 150 countries. According to the BGMEA, in the financial year 2025-26, Bangladesh sold textiles worth about Rs 3.68 lakh crore to other countries.