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Paramilitary troops deployed after workers' wage protests in Bangladesh

Xinhua, December 21, 2016 Adjust font size:

Hundreds of paramilitary troops have been deployed in a key apparel industrial zone on the outskirts of Bangladesh capital Dhaka as thousands of garment workers continued demonstrations on Wednesday, demanding a hike in minimum monthly wage.

"Fifteen platoons of BGB (35 members in each platoon) have been deployed at different strategic points of industrial zone Ashulia to thwart any untoward incident," said an official of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) who did not like to be named Wednesday.

The apex body of Bangladesh's woven garment manufacturers Tuesday announced to keep dozens of Ashulia factories closed for an indefinite period from Wednesday following workers' unrest over wage hike.

Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) President Siddiqur Rahman said they had to shut down 55 factories as workers abstained from work for last couple of days.

Like the last couple of days, workers of some factories in Ashulia also took to the streets and clashed for sometime with the law enforcers, demanding minimum basic wage of 10,000 taka.

Demanding higher minimum wage, some 60,000 garment workers also on Monday staged demonstration.

The last minimum wage was set 5,300 taka, raising 77 percent, in 2013 after a Bangladeshi government board recommended the same for the country's some 4 million garment workers, 80 percent of whom are women.

Bangladeshi garment workers' organizations had earlier handed over a memorandum to the government's Minimum Wages Board, demanding 16,000 taka minimum monthly wage.

Sources said the Bangladeshi government is in talks with all the relevant stakeholders including factory owners on a new minimum wage. (1 U.S. dollars equals about 82 taka) Enditem