Garment workers throw pieces of bricks as they block a street during a protest in Gazipur September 23, 2013.
Protests raged in the Bangladeshi capital for the fourth straight day on Tuesday as garment workers continue to demand better wages after negotiations between the country’s shipping minister, factory owners and labor leaders failed to produce an agreement.
More than 4,000 employees at industrial outfits, which supply readymade garments to leading international retailers including Wal-Mart, GAP and JCPenney, have halted work amid the protests. Approximately 400 of the country’s 5,000 factories have been closed during demonstrations this week.
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Enraged apparel workers threw up roadblocks on several key highways and the airport road, according to a report in the Daily Star. Local police say up to 200,000 garment workers have demonstrated in the streets of Dhaka to demand a monthly minimum wage of around $100. More than 3.5 million people are believed to work in the country’s garment sector, which accounts for 78% of Bangladesh’s export revenue.