Dhaka: Two garment workers were injured in clashes with police in Bangladesh Tuesday as protests demanding higher minimum wages resumed after a break of several days, prompting authorities to deploy additional security forces.
The protests resumed after a few days of suspension, including during government holidays, with workers at various factories in several industrial areas across the country stopping work to press their demands despite reporting for duty in the morning.
The clashes broke out when workers blocked the Baipail-Abdullahpur Road in Ashulia industrial area, about 17 km from Dhaka, The Daily Star newspaper reported.
Police initially tried to persuade them to clear the road, but the protesters allegedly hurled bricks and stones at personnel, triggering clashes and chases between the two sides, it said.
Police subsequently fired tear gas shells and sound grenades to disperse the demonstrators.
Two workers were injured in the clashes. They were rushed to Ashulia Women and Children Hospital.
According to Harun-or-Rashid, operations manager of the hospital, the two workers were brought for treatment with injuries reportedly caused by rubber bullets.
While one worker suffered a head injury and was referred to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH), another received primary treatment and returned home.
However, Mohammad Mominul Islam Bhuiyan, superintendent of Ashulia Industrial Police-1, said the worker receiving treatment at DMCH was injured by a brickbat and is doing well, The Daily Star reported.
The authorities have announced an indefinite closure of all factories operated by New Age Group in Ashulia from Tuesday, citing the ongoing labour unrest.
The unrest comes amid continued garment workers’ protests over demands for higher minimum wages, which have disrupted factory operations in Bangladesh’s key export industry.
Garment factory workers have been demanding an increase in the monthly minimum wage from 12,500 taka (approx INR 9,507) to 30,000 taka (approx INR 23,000), citing rising prices of food, housing, transport and healthcare that have eroded their purchasing power.
A wage board has agreed to introduce a revised pay structure from December, with the first salaries under the new scale expected in January, but the size of the increase has yet to be determined.
Meanwhile, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) has deployed 36 platoons of personnel in key industrial areas of Dhaka, Gazipur and Narayanganj to maintain law and order and prevent further unrest, the state-run BSS news agency reported.
According to a BGB statement, 14 platoons have been stationed in Savar and Ashulia, three in Mirpur, nine in Narayanganj and 10 in different industrial areas of Gazipur.
Two special patrols are also being conducted in Narayanganj and adjoining areas, it said.
The BGB headquarters is monitoring the security situation through live footage captured by drones, body-worn cameras and other devices, in coordination with local administration and police.
The protests come at a critical time for Bangladesh’s readymade garment industry, which employs about four million workers and accounts for more than 80 per cent of the country’s export earnings.
Bangladesh is the world’s second-largest garment exporter after China, supplying major international brands such as H&M, Zara and Gap.
Manufacturers have warned that prolonged disruption during the peak production season for spring and summer orders could delay shipments, threaten overseas buyers’ confidence and lead to cancellations.
Bangladesh’s garment sector has been under pressure from rising production costs, inflation and intense competition in global markets. Workers, meanwhile, say their wages have failed to keep pace with the cost of living, with inflation hovering around 8 per cent.
