Clashes as 50,000 garment workers protest in Bangladesh

Dozens of people were injured yesterday as police fired rubber bullets and tear gas at tens of thousands of garment workers demanding higher salaries just outside the Bangladeshi capital.

Several factories were ransacked at Ashulia industrial area, 30 kilometres north of Dhaka, as workers abandoned their jobs to join protests for a three-fold wage hike, said local police chief Sirajul Islam.

Protesters fired live rounds and pelted police with rocks, he said, adding a key highway was blocked for about two hours.

"Around 50,000 workers joined the protests for wage hike. They were demanding minimum monthly salaries of 5,000 taka ($70)," he told AFP.

Garment workers are currently paid a minimum 1,662 taka following a 2006 agreement among manufacturers, unions and the government.

"We fired rubber bullets, lobbed tear gas shells and used water cannons to disperse the unruly workers. Some workers retaliated by firing live rounds, which injured one policeman," he said.

The situation was brought under control after nearly three hours, Islam said, adding 40 policemen were injured in the clashes. He would not comment on how many workers were hurt.

But Mosherafa Mishu, of left-leaning Garment Workers Unity Forum, said more than 100 workers were injured, including one who was hit by a bullet.

The violent protest follows a series of labour troubles at Ashulia and Kanchpur - the country's two main apparel hubs - where factories which make clothing for global retailers like Wal-Mart, Tesco and H&M are located.

The government has proposed increasing the minimum wage for apparel workers but it has faced opposition from the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), which represents more than 4,500 factories.