DHAKA: Bangladesh will set up a wage board on Sunday to review garment workers' pay after protests shut dozens of factories and triggered clashes with police, putting fresh strain on the country's key export industry.
Workers in the South Asian nation are demanding a minimum monthly wage of 30,000 taka (US$245), more than double the current 12,500 taka, saying rising costs of food, housing, transport and healthcare have sharply eroded their purchasing power.
The dispute has raised concerns about disruption to an industry that employs about four million workers, generates more than 80 per cent of Bangladesh's export earnings and supplies clothing to many leading Western brands.
Labour and Employment Minister Ariful Haque Chowdhury said the government would formally constitute the wage board after discussions with labour leaders and industry representatives aimed at defusing the unrest.
