Country Rating: 5

  • No guarantee of rights

  • Countries with the rating of 5 are the worst countries in the world to work in. While the legislation may spell out certain rights, workers have effectively no access to these rights and are therefore exposed to autocratic regimes and unfair labour practices.

Police brutality: In November 2013, the Minimum Wage Board announced a 77 per cent increase in minimum wages. This would result in a monthly salary of 5,300 taka (USD 68) for workers. However, employers argued they would not be able to implement this decision. On 11 November 2013, workers protested against employers' refusal to pay higher minimum wages and the rate announced by Minimum Wage Board, still the lowest in the world for textile workers. Police fired water cannon and rubber bullets to break protests injuring more than 50 people. About 250 factories were shut down in the Ashulia industrial zone on the outskirts of the capital Dhaka.

Police violence at Rana Plaza factory: Police opened fire on workers who protested near the former Rana Plaza factory for fairer wages and outstanding salary payments which had been promised previously by the government and the Bangladesh Garments Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA). Local media reported that 50 people were injured by police. The death toll from the Rana Plaza disaster reportedly now stands at 1,130.

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