Clean Clothes Campaign (CCC) strongly denounces the brutal suppression of garment workers in Bangladesh who are advocating for a wage increase to 23,000Tk, and calls on the Bangladeshi government to uphold workers' right to peaceful protest.
The tragic shooting of Rasel Hawlader, a garment worker demanding the 23,000Tk minimum wage, highlights the dire situation. Protests erupted in October 2023 when the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association proposed a minimum wage of 10,400Tk, far below the 23,000Tk demanded by trade unions.
This glaring disparity underscores the failure of the wage-setting process to align with legal standards and international conventions.
The unrest has claimed additional lives, revealing an alarming level of worker repression. CCC condemns brands that have failed to support the workers' just demands, effectively legitimizing an undemocratic wage negotiation environment. The protests are spreading, driven by the desperate need for a family-sustaining wage.
CCC calls on the Bangladeshi government to end the violence against workers and cease politicizing the protests. Brands sourcing from Bangladesh must also take responsibility, condemning violence against workers, supporting fair wages, and ensuring workers' voices are heard in wage negotiations. CCC expresses solidarity with the affected workers and their families, demanding the protection of workers' freedom of association.
