Bangladesh’s Interim Government (IG) is suppressing garment workers engaged in protests over a series of demands, including wage increases and improved social conditions.
The class struggle is occurring under conditions of intense political upheaval. Mass student protests, which developed into a broader uprising in July-August, forced the ouster of Prime Minister Shiek Hasina, who fled the country.
The IG was installed by the military on August 8 and is headed by Chief Adviser Muhammed Yunus, a banker with close ties to American imperialism. Yunus’ claims to be overseeing a transition to “true democracy,” aimed at realising “social justice” after the increasingly authoritarian rule of Hasina, are belied by the brutal attacks on garment workers.
In response to protests that have continued since September, the new government has overseen a police crackdown involving regular officers, industrial cops, the notorious Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and army personnel.
So far, these state forces have gunned down one protester, injured scores, carried out mass arrests and filed cases against over a thousand workers.
A key demand of the workers is for a major pay increase, from the current monthly minimum wage of 8,000 taka ($US67) to 22,000-25,000 taka ($184-209). They are also calling for an increase to the monthly attendance bonus, the granting of annual leave, night shift pay and an extension of maternity leave for female workers.
Other demands include the reopening of closed factories, the reinstatement of previously terminated employees, an end to harassment by management and government officials and improved workplace safety and conditions.
From last Saturday until Tuesday, garment workers at over a dozen factories in Gazipur shut down production.
Yunus is going beyond its purported duty of preparing national elections within three months of his installation, signaling that the IG will remain in office until 2026. An October article in the Hindu reported Yunus stating that “an election cannot be held before reforms are completed,” a reference to austerity measures demanded by the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.