Striking Bangladeshi garment workers clashed with police on the outskirts of the capital on Saturday as factories reopened in defiance of protests demanding nearly three-fold increases in wages.
Bangladesh’s 3,500 garment factories account for around 85% of the South Asian country’s annual exports of US$55 billion and supply many of the world’s top fashion brands, including Levi’s, Zara and H&M. doing.
But the situation is dire for many of the sector’s 4 million workers, the majority of whom are women with monthly salaries starting at Taka 8,300 (US$75).
Police said about 600 businesses had reopened after a week in the areas hardest hit by the strike, with some factories looted and set on fire.
But clashes erupted in Ashuria, an industrial city west of the capital Dhaka, after about 10,000 workers tried to prevent their colleagues from returning to work.
“They threw stones and bricks at police officers and factories and tried to block roads,” Ashulia police chief Mohammad Sarowar Alam said.
“We fired tear gas to disperse them,” he said, adding that 1,500 security forces had been deployed there and near Savar to maintain order.
Local police chief Sarwar Alam said workers had also returned to work after a week of violent protests in Ghazipur, an industrial area on the northern outskirts of Dhaka.
“The situation is peaceful,” he added.
Kalpona Akhtar, president of the Bangladesh Garment Workers’ Federation, said on Friday that the week-long protests had disrupted production at some of the world’s top fashion brands.
“These include Gap, Walmart, H&M, Zara, Inditex, Best Sellers, Levi’s, Marks & Spencer, Primark and Aldi,” she said.
A Primark spokesperson said the Dublin-based fast fashion retailer had “not experienced any disruption to its supply chain”.
“We continue to communicate with our suppliers, some of whom have temporarily closed their factories,” the spokesperson added.
Garment workers say they are struggling to feed their families due to rapidly rising costs of living.
The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), which represents factory owners, has proposed a 25% wage increase to workers.
This is significantly less than the 23,000 taka (US$209) monthly salary demanded by the protesters.
“Brands and retailers only care about smooth shipping and profits. But they don’t care about the well-being of the workers at the end of the supply chain and the fact that many of them are half-starved. No,” Akhter said.
“We want brands to put pressure on Bangladeshi manufacturers to ensure they pay the wages their workers demand.”
The protests coincided with another violent demonstration by opposition parties demanding Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s resignation ahead of elections scheduled for January.