Bangladeshi garment factories shut down

In the wake of protests over a building collapse that has left 304 workers dead so far, Bangladesh's ready-made garment sector decided Friday to shut down all the factories across Bangladesh on Saturday and Sunday.

The announcement, made by the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters' Association (BGMEA), came hours after tens of thousands of workers of the ready-made garment sector blocked many of the major highways Friday morning, demanding capital punishments for the owner of the building which collapsed on Wednesday morning.

They also demanded the immediate arrest of the owners of the five factories located at the collapsed building in Savar on the outskirts of capital Dhaka.

The unruly protests which flared up first in Savar spread quickly to Dhaka and many other apparel hubs where thousands of workers took to the streets and vandalized over 100 vehicles. The angry workers also reportedly set fire to two factories in protest against the Savar building collapse on Friday morning.

In one of the worst building collapses ever in Bangladesh, rescuers have so far pulled alive about 2,400 people including up to 100 on Friday, keeping alive the hope that more lives can be saved as the rescue operation continues.

But more than 56 hours after the catastrophe, it is still not known exactly how many workers were inside when the building collapsed. Sources said scores of people are still trapped beneath the piles of rubble, and rescuers believe that many more are still alive in the wreckage.

Officials say the death toll from Wednesday's building collapse climbed to 304 on Friday evening. They say almost all the death victims are workers of the five factories -- Phantom Apparels, Phantom Tac, Ether Tex, New Wave Style and New Wave Bottoms -- which make clothing for many major global brands.

Rescuers say the salvage operations at the site will continue until Saturday before the process to remove the wreckage begins.

The eight-storey building Rana Plaza crumbled like a pack of cards at about 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday after it developed several cracks on Tuesday.

The building is owned by a leader of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's ruling Bangladesh Awami League party who reportedly constructed it without permission from relevant authorities, and assured the owners of the factories that there was no problem despite cracks detected.

Six floors of the building housed the five garment factories which, according to BGMEA, employed nearly 3,500 workers, mostly of them women. Furthermore, there were also a bank's branch and hundreds of shops inside the building.

The BGMEA on Thursday suspended membership of the five factories, owners of which had already run away.

Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Friday ordered the authorities for immediate arrest of the culprits responsible for the catastrophe.

Building collapses are common in Bangladesh as many multi- storey blocks are built in violation of rules with inadequate supervision.

At least 110 people were killed in a garment factory fire in Ashulia on the outskirts of Dhaka in November 2012.

There are over 4,000 garment factories in Bangladesh, contributing more than two thirds of the country's export earnings. Unrest, mostly over wage issue, in the country's garment sector is very common.

Despite their marked contributions to the country's economy, the garment workers' organizations have all along complained that their members are leading a miserable life with meagre monthly wages.

The Bangladeshi government in July, 2010 announced 3,000 taka ( about 42.9 U.S. dollars) as the minimum monthly wage for the country's around 3 million garment workers, an over 80 percent hike from the previous pay.

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