Bangladeshi Garment Workers Protest for Wages of $100 a Month

Angry Bangladeshi garment workers have blocked roads, set factories alight and clashed with police for a third day as protests demanding a minimum monthly wage of $US100 spread outside the capital Dhaka.

Bangladeshi garment workers are among the most poorly paid people in the world and often work as much as 80 hours a week, so these protests are inevitable. Planet Money has been doing a series of stories about how a T-shirt is made that’s been very good at providing us with some context about the lives of these workers (see their stories here and their Tumblr here). “Fast fashion” stores use the cheap labor in Bangladesh to keep their prices low (“The garment industry has low margins, and this creates great pressure to keep wages low — though there have been some efforts to improve conditions.”)

Photo: USDA

Support The Billfold

The Billfold continues to exist thanks to support from our readers. Help us continue to do our work by making a monthly pledge on Patreon or a one-time-only contribution through PayPal.