Bangladesh agrees to raise minimum wage for garment workers

Bangladesh’s garment wage board agreed to raise the sector’s minimum wage after five days of protests and clashes.

The board includes representatives of workers and factory owners, and was set up by the government to negotiate pay.

Workers are demanding a monthly minimum of 30,000 taka, up from 12,500 taka, as rising living costs and inflation strain household budgets.

The new wage amount has not yet been decided, although the board expects to finish its work by December.

Workers are expected to receive revised salaries in January.

Protests have continued in industrial centres including Gazipur, Mirpur, Narayanganj and Savar, where police have used tear gas to disperse crowds.

The dispute affects an industry employing more than four million people and responsible for about four-fifths of Bangladesh’s export earnings.