["We will protest till the end of our breath,” one protester
tells Teen Vogue.]
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IN BANGLADESH GARMENT WORKER WAGES WERE INCREASED TO $112 A MONTH,
THEY ARE DEMANDING MORE  
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Alyssa Hardy
November 9, 2023
Teen Vogue
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_ "We will protest till the end of our breath,” one protester tells
Teen Vogue. _

, Nurphoto/Getty Images

 

Over 5,000 garment workers
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Bangladesh are protesting the current minimum wage in the country.
Tasmin Kurien of the Asia Floor Wage Alliance tells _Teen
Vogue_ that 70% of those protesting are women.

For months, workers have been calling on the government and factory
owners to raise their wages from 8,300 taka, or $75 a month, to 23,000
taka, or $205 a month. When the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and
Exporters Association initially offered to increase the wages to
$90, the protests
[[link removed].] began. The
last wage increase was in 2018.
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On November 7, the association came back with an increased offer of
56.25%
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taka, or $114 a month). Kalpona Akter of the Bangladesh Garment and
Industrial Workers Federation told Al Jazeera
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the offer was “very frustrating,” adding “we can’t accept
it.”

Taniya Begum, a garment worker who has been protesting for the minimum
wage increase, tells _Teen Vogue_ that workers are fighting for a
wage that is in line with inflation and the rising cost of
living. “We cannot afford a healthy life for our children. We
cannot ensure enough nutritious food with the present wage,” she
says via Zoom. Most workers, she continues, choose to work overtime to
make ends meet, even when, according to Begum, some factories don't
honor those extra hours — another reason why protesters have decided
to take a stand.

_Teen Vogue_ has reached out to Denim Asia Ltd., a factory that
employs several protesting workers, for comment.

On Wednesday, at least one worker was killed during the protests, and
several others were injured in a clash with police, according to
Reuters. [[link removed]]

Bangladesh is one of the largest hubs of garment factories in the
world, second only to China. An estimated 4 million workers are
employed
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Bangladesh's garment business, making clothing for popular brands
like H&M, Abercrombie & Fitch, Adidas, Levi Strauss, Lululemon, and
Inditex,
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owns Zara.

In October, 16 brands sent a letter to the prime minister asking for a
proper review of wages. “The consultations should seek to raise the
minimum wage to a level that corresponds with a wage level and
benefits that are sufficient to cover workers’ basic needs and some
discretionary income and takes into account inflationary
pressures,” the letter states.
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While Prime Minister Sheik Hasina, who is running for reelection in
January
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did not directly respond to the letter, she did address the
protesters in Dhaka saying,
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workers should remember that if they damage factories, they may have
to return to their villages and live without employment.” Despite
this, workers are still fighting for better wages.

This week, Bangladesh Garment and Sweaters Workers Trade Union Center
conducted a protest march on the Dhaka National Press Club (where the
protest is visible to local media), demanding “basic wage to be 65%
of total wages, declaration of 5 grades & uniform wage hike across all
grades, and a 10% increment of minimum wages annually,” according
to the workers' memorandum.
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According to Begum, workers say that until they have received the wage
increases they demand, they plan on continuing to protest. “We will
protest till the end of our breath,” she says. “Our workers are
dying in the road, and we are protesting in the road. We cannot go
back home without 23,000 takas. We are dying to fulfill our needs, our
family needs.”

ALYSSA HARDY is a journalist and the author of “Worn Out: How Our
Clothes Cover Up Fashion’s Sins.” She was formerly the Fashion
News Editor at Teen Vogue and the Senior News Editor at InStyle. Her
work has appeared in Vogue, Business of Fashion, Marie Claire, NYLON,
Refinery29 and more. She's currently a contributing editor at Teen
Vogue.

TEEN VOGUE is the young person’s guide to conquering (and saving)
the world. We are the leading brand dedicated to amplifying the voice
of young people on the issues they care about the most, across
culture, fashion, politics, beauty, identity/wellness, and more.

At Teen Vogue, we pride ourselves on publishing reported pieces and
essays that are inclusive and disruptive. With smart, authentic takes
on culture, identity, and politics, we tell the stories that normally
go untold, defining the zeitgeist for a new generation that demands
style and substance. As our Editor-in-Chief Versha Sharma says, we aim
to be a “guide and resource for young people who want to change the
world for the better, all the while reminding them to have fun and
find joy doing it.”

Subscribe to our newsletters here
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* Labor
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* garment workers
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* Bangladesh
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* fashion industry
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* Women
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