Tension is mounting in the textile and apparel industries of Bangladesh and India as workers are asking for higher wages. After five days of clashes between factory workers and the police, garment manufacturers in Bangladesh decided to shut down 300 factories in the town of Ashulia on June 16. They reopened them a few days later after the government gave assurances that it would preserve security and arrest protesters who vandalized properties. About half a million workers are employed in the area, representing 60 percent of the people working in the country’s textile industry. Apparel makes up 80 percent of Bangladesh’s total exports of $23 billion. While some sources said the workers were calling on their employers to raise wages to meet the increased cost of living, industry officials claimed that the acts of violence were caused by criminals. In India, meanwhile, labor strikes continue to affect the textile industry in the area of Ahmebadad, in the state of Gujarat. The local unions are reportedly asking for the reinstatement of at least 50 of the 600 workers who were laid off recently because of rising wages, which have doubled to US$200 per month since 2011.

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