00:00 Bangladesh's 4 million garment industry workers have been demanding better wages on
00:10 the streets for weeks.
00:11 And this has gotten violent as the protests have grown more intense.
00:16 Sadly, four people have succumbed as a result of clashes between the protesters and the
00:21 security forces.
00:23 The Bangladesh Labour Unions have claimed that the police moved the protests aside with
00:28 rubber bullets and tear gas.
00:30 Currently, 11,000 workers have been charged by the police for engaging in violent protests
00:35 and 150 factories nationwide have been closed indefinitely, according to a local report.
00:41 The majority of Bangladesh's economy is dependent on the garment industry, but the working conditions
00:46 for those who work in this field are appalling.
00:50 The 4 million workers in the industry, the majority of whom are women, reportedly make
00:54 just $95 a month.
00:56 The workers want a $208 a month in wages that makes up around 25,000 taka a month.
01:03 The protests have forced the closure of numerous factories around the country.
01:08 Following the violent protests, about 19,500 garment workers have been charged in cases
01:13 involving both named and unnamed defendants.
01:17 Approximately 15,000 to 16,000 workers are accused in 23 cases in Ghazipur alone.
01:23 The citizens of Bangladesh have started to grow wary of Sheikh Hasina's administration
01:27 in recent years.
01:29 Hasina is grappling with the most significant labour unrest in a decade mark where tens
01:33 of thousands of workers engaging in confrontations with the police and now even with the army.
01:38 And that too at a time when general elections are just months away in Bangladesh.
01:43 And so, the suppression of the violent protests by Sheikh Hasina is also being perceived as
01:47 an effort to thwart the rise of the BNP or Bangladesh Nationalist Party which has been
01:52 gaining popularity recently.
01:54 Hasina has accused certain BNP leaders of collaborating with foreign powers in an attempt
01:59 to take over the country.
02:00 Furthermore, Bangladesh, which was once considered a powerful economy, is currently in a state
02:05 of stagnation and is entangling itself into a debt due to China's Belt and Road Initiative.
02:11 Should things carry on in the same manner?
02:13 It might not be impossible to say.
02:16 Sheikh Hasina might lose her authority in January 2024.
02:19 [Music]
