Amnesty condemns ‘use of force’ on RMG demos

Amnesty International in a statement yesterday condemned the deplorable use of force on protesters on Wednesday that resulted in the deaths of at least two garment workers in clashes with the police in protests relating to minimum wage.

Amnesty calls upon the authorities to end its violent repression of workers' right to protest, and conduct an immediate investigation into these deaths, and hold those responsible fully and swiftly accountable.

The new wage of Tk 12,500 remains far below the living wage of around Tk 51,000 (Asia Floor Wage Alliance) and below the Tk 33,368 calculated to cover basic costs of life by the Bangladesh Institute for Labour Studies, it says.

Amnesty urges the Bangladesh government to ensure that garment workers are allowed their right to freedom of association without repression.

Amnesty International also calls on fashion brands who source from Bangladesh to make good their commitments to ensuring respect for labour rights and paying a living wage to workers in their supply chain, reads the statement.