Bangladesh forms wage board as garment workers protest

Bangladesh has formed a new wage board to review the minimum wage for garment workers as it tries to quell a protest movement that has disrupted key industrial hubs. Despite the announcement on Sunday, thousands of workers demanding higher wages continued protesting around the capital, Dhaka. Clashes were reported with police, who fired tear gas and sound grenades. The garment sector is the backbone of Bangladesh’s export-driven economy , employing millions of workers and generating the bulk of the country’s foreign earnings. Workers are demanding a minimum monthly wage of 30,000 taka ($242), more than double the current wage of 12,500 taka ($101).