L
LequteMan
Guest
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 $US100 spread outside the capital Dhaka.
Abdul Baten, police chief of the Gazipur industrial district near Dhaka, which is home to hundreds of factories, said on Monday "up to 200,000 workers" had joined the latest demonstrations.
His deputy Mustafizur Rahman said about 300 factories were shut on Monday to contain the violence as protesting workers attacked plants that stayed open.
"The situation is extremely volatile. Police fired rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse the unruly workers," he said, adding that dozens of workers and several policemen were injured.
Protests over poor wages, benefits and working conditions in Bangladesh are frequent but have become more passionate since April when a factory collapsed and killed 1100 people.
Bangladeshi textile workers are among the worst paid in the sector worldwide, and often toil for 80 hours a week in factories, which are vulnerable to fires and other accidents.
In 2010, months of demonstrations forced the government and factory owners to agree to a minimum monthly wage of 3,000 Taka ($A40).
In June this year the government set up a panel to review salaries and unions have demanded an 8,114 Taka ($A107) minimum monthly wage.
Factory owners have rejected the demand, saying they can raise wages by only 20 per cent to 3,600 Taka due to gloomy global economic conditions.
Bangladesh is the world's second-largest garment exporter with apparel shipments accounting for 80 percent of its $A28.95 billion annual exports.
