Protesters across Asia held marches and rallies on Friday, May 1st, to demand higher wages and better working conditions. In Bangladesh garment factory workers marched through the the streets of Dhaka- some held signs asking for living wages. Retailers have been urged to do more recently to improve working conditions after more than 1100 people died in the 2013 Rana Plaza factory collapse.
Workers rallying for more pay on May 1st
Garment workers in Cambodia also marched for better wages. They want a minimum wage increase to about $177 dollars a month.
And in Taiwan, tired and overworked firefighters held posters of giant blood-shot eyeballs.
We have to work 48 hours in a row, this person said. Driving vehicles with no sleep is like driving under the influence of alcohol, and it’s very dangerous.
And there were similar scenes in the Indonesian capital Jakarta.
Indonesia is the largest economy in Southeast Asia but is divided by an enormous wealth gap.
About 11 percent of the country’s 240 million people live below the poverty line.
Ventuno