Tough Enough! Bangladesh Severely Punished Workers' Strike And 7000 People Were Dismissed.

Kalpona Akter, Bangladesh workers solidarity center, said at the beginning of this month that at least 5000 workers were fired, but the actual figure could reach 7000.

In Bangladesh, footwear workers tried to raise the minimum wage by striking. Not only did they fail, but nearly 7000 workers who took part in the strike were dismissed from the factory.

Bangladesh police and trade union leaders have recently said that after more than a week of strikes and clashes caused by wage disputes, hundreds of workers have been expelled from Bangladesh garment factories for Western brands.

According to Agence France-Presse, Bangladesh's clothing industry has a scale of 30 billion US dollars and the world's second largest only after China. About 4500 garment factories employ 4 million of the workers to make Hennes Mauritz H&M (H&M), Wal-Mart Store Inc (Walmart) and other brands.

Last September, Bangladesh said that the minimum monthly salary for garment workers in 2019 will be raised from 5300 Taka to about 63 US dollars to 8000 Taka, or about $95 (642 yuan), but the move is dissatisfied with the industry. Industrial workers hope to raise their minimum monthly salary to 16000 Taka, or about 191 dollars (1290 yuan).

As for workers' demands, Bangladesh clothing factory owners say they also face the pressure of global brands on cost control.

Thousands of workers who were dissatisfied with low wages started fighting earlier this month, resulting in the shutting down of dozens of garment factories. Police fired rubber bullets and tear gas against protesters in a major town outside Dhaka last week, killing more than 50 people and injuring 1 people.

After the government agreed to raise salaries, the large-scale struggle gradually subsided this week, but many people found themselves fired after returning to work today.

Kazi Ruhul Amin, head of the Bangladesh garment workers union center, said earlier this month that those who shouted slogans to leave the factory and joined the demanding pay raise, and those who had ties with the organization, are now losing their jobs.

Kalpona Akter, the representative of the Bangladesh workers solidarity center, said on Thursday that the group learned that at least 5000 workers had been fired so far, but the actual figure could reach 7000.

A senior union leader said that at least 750 of the staff employed in many garment factories in Ashulia, the garment industry, found that the factory gate was posted with a notice of dismissal with their head shots.

H&M parent Hennes & Mauritz AB (HM-b.ST) Haines Maurice group expressed deep concern about the recent events in Bangladesh's textile industry, and affirmed the freedom of protest. Spanish brand Mango and US brand Guess and Saks declined to comment. The Zara parent Inditex SA (India) group said the three factories that fired workers were not suppliers of the company.

The unnamed trade union leader said, "this is unfair, and the boss makes chilling effects, so that no one dares to start a struggle or ask for a reasonable salary.

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The police and factory managers said that there were only about more than 400 of the total number of people who had not been fired, all of which were destroyed by factory equipment during the strike. More than half of them were Metro Knitting and Dyeing in asuria.

Atiqul Islam, general manager of the metropolitan knitting dyeing plant, told Agence France-Presse that the company informed about 300 workers to destroy the plant monitors and computers.

He said, "about 10 thousand export garments are missing.

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Local police say so far 12 people have been arrested for wanton destruction during the protests.

The world's leading retailers include four fast fashion brands, Zara, Uniqlo UNIQLO, H&M parent Inditex SA (ITX.MC), Indo Textile Group, Fast Retailing Co. Ltd. (9983.T) fast marketing group, Ltd. & amp; Haines (Group), and Maurice (Group), all of which import large quantities of clothing from Bangladesh.

WTO data show that Bangladesh garment exports accounted for 6.3% of the market in 2016, second only to the overlord China, which accounted for 34.5% of the absolute monopoly.