Catherwood LibraryILR School

Bangladeshi factory workers, who help to produce huge amounts of apparel for the United States and Europe have engaged in labor disputes and protests over the past few years, worrying governmental officials. The apparel export industry is Bangladesh's biggest, accounting for over 3 million jobs. Minimum wage for workers is about $37 a month, and with high inflation, that pay's value has dropped. The government has used military and police to quell protests and to watch labor organizers. In April, one organizer was found tortured and killed, a case that was never solved. Unions, which were not allowed under law until 2004, face a battle to organize and win contracts, one made more difficult by factory owners who say that companies will not buy from them if their prices increase. While some brands and workers' rights groups have asked the government to raise wages, the government says that it is not necessary.