By Ruma Paul
DHAKA, Nov 5 (Reuters) - Garment workers staged fresh protests in Bangladesh on Thursday, forcing factories to suspend operations despite a wage board move to introduce a revised pay structure from December.
The protests, which began on Saturday, have forced the closure of hundreds of factories, disrupting production and raising concerns about export shipment delays in Bangladesh, the world's second-largest garment exporter after China.
Workers initially reported to work early on Thursday in Ashulia, a major garment manufacturing hub on the outskirts of the capital Dhaka. But they later walked out and blocked a major highway, demanding a clear announcement on the proposed wage increase.
"We had to use tear gas and sound grenades after protesters threw bricks at police and vandalised police vehicles," Ashulia Industrial Police Superintendent Mohammad Mominul Islam Bhuiyan said.
More than 100 factories suspended operations in the area on Thursday, he said, adding that additional police and Border Guard Bangladesh personnel had been deployed across the industrial zone to prevent further unrest.
BOARD YET TO DECIDE PAY HIKE
The situation was, meanwhile, relatively calm in other industrial hubs, including Savar and Gazipur where many workers returned to their jobs, though some factories remained temporarily closed.
Authorities have urged factory employees to come back to work as security forces remain on high alert across major industrial zones.
The wage board agreed on Wednesday to implement a revised wage structure from December, with workers set to receive their first pay under the new scale in January. But it has yet to determine the size of the increase.
Workers are demanding that the minimum monthly wage be more than doubled to 30,000 taka ($241.55) from 12,500 taka currently, saying rising food, housing and transport costs have eroded their purchasing power.
"The prices of everything have gone up, but wages have not. It is becoming harder and harder to make ends meet," said Shilpi Khatun, a garment worker who did not join Thursday's protest.
Low wages and duty-free access to key Western markets helped fuel the growth of Bangladesh's garment industry, which generates more than 80% of the South Asian nation's export earnings, but the unrest is testing its low-cost advantage.
The sector employs about 4 million workers and supplies major global brands including H&M, Zara owner Inditex and Walmart. Manufacturers warn the unrest could disrupt production schedules during the peak season for export orders.
($1 = 124.2000 taka)
(Reporting by Ruma Paul; Editing by Joe Bavier)