BLOODY REVENUE
The readymade garments industry acts as a catalyst for the development of Bangladesh after replacing the Jute Industry. The "Made in Bangladesh" tag has also brought glory for the country, making it a prestigious brand across the globe. Bangladesh, which was once termed by cynics a "bottomless basket" has now become a "basket full of wonders." The country with its limited resources has been maintaining 6% annual average GDP growth rate and has brought about remarkable social and human development.
After independence in 1971, Bangladesh was one of the poorest countries in the world. No major industries were developed in Bangladesh, when it was known as East Pakistan, due to discriminatory attitudes and policies of the government of the then West Pakistan. So, rebuilding the war-ravaged country with limited resources appeared to be the biggest challenge.
The industry that has been making a crucial contribution to rebuilding the country and its economy is none other than the readymade garment (RMG) industry which is now the single biggest export earner for Bangladesh. The sector accounts for 83% of total export earnings of the country.
As the world is facing the dire hit of inflation due to Covid and Russia-Ukraine war, Bangladesh has been crippled since 2022. People who are the low wage earners have been hit the most since October 2023 due to daily commodity price hikes.
In the first week of November 2023, many garment workers are taking it to the street for a wage hike or lowering the daily commodity price. But in Bangladesh once a daily commodity price has been hiked, it has never been in control. But conditions are dire for many of the workers, the vast majority of whom are women whose monthly pay starts at 8,300 taka ($75).
Up to 25,000 garment workers clashed with police in Bangladesh, officials said, as protests rejecting a government-offered pay rise forced the closure of at least 100 factories outside Dhaka. A government-appointed panel raised wages on the second week of November by 56.25 percent for the South Asian nation’s four million garment factory workers, who are seeking a near-tripling of their monthly wage. Bangladesh’s 3,500 garment factories account for about 85 percent of its $55bn in annual exports, supplying many of the world’s top brands including Levi’s, Zara and H&M.
Police said violence broke out in the industrial towns of Gazipur and Ashulia on the outskirts of Dhaka after more than 10,000 workers staged protests in factories and along highways to reject the panel’s offer. “There were 10,000 [protesting] workers at several spots. They threw bricks and stones at our officers and factories, which were open,” Mahmud Naser, Ashulia’s deputy industrial police chief, said.
Thousands of workers also clashed with the elite Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and police at Konabari and Naujore in Gazipur, with police using batons and tear gas to drive them into alleys. “About 15,000 workers blocked the road at Konabari, and vandalized vehicles and other properties. We had to disperse them to maintain law and order,” Gazipur municipality administrator Sayed Murad Ali said.
In this complete turmoil, 4 garment workers have been dead and hundreds are injured. The United States has condemned violence against protesting Bangladeshi garment workers and 'the criminalisation of legitimate worker and trade union activities'. The Netherlands-based Clean Clothes Campaign, a textile workers' rights group, has also dismissed the new pay level as a 'poverty wage'.
