达卡 11月4日电——孟加拉国新成立的工资委员会定于周三召开关于服装行业工资的首次会议，同时要求提高薪酬的抗议活动已进入第五天。
DHAKA, Nov 4 - Bangladesh's newly formed wage board is set to hold its first meeting on garment sector wages on Wednesday, as protests for higher pay entered their fifth day.
随着工人艰难应对不断上涨的生活成本，政府和服装制造商面临着越来越大的压力，被要求将月最低工资从1.25万塔卡（约合101美元）提高到3万塔卡（约合243美元）。注：源文数字243美元按当时汇率或原文数据保留。
The government and garment manufacturers are under mounting pressure to raise the monthly minimum wage to 30,000 taka ($243) from 12,500 taka, as workers struggle with rising living costs. The protesters have clashed with police in several industrial areas of Dhaka, forcing hundreds of factories to suspend operations and raising concerns about shipment delays in Bangladesh, the world's second-largest garment exporter after China.
示威者在达卡多个工业区与警方发生冲突，迫使数百家工厂暂停运营，并引发了外界对孟加拉国发货延迟的担忧。孟加拉国是仅次于中国的全球第二大服装出口国。
The sector employs about 4 million workers, generates more than 80% of export earnings and supplies brands including H&M , Inditex's Zara and Walmart . On Wednesday, clashes broke out between workers and police in Savar and Gazipur, two major garment hubs on the outskirts of Dhaka.
该行业雇佣了约400万名工人，创造了超过80%的出口收入，并为H&M、印地纺旗下的Zara和沃尔玛等品牌供货。
Demonstrators blocked roads and highways, while police used tear gas and sound grenades.
周三，在达卡郊外的两个主要服装枢纽萨瓦尔和加济布尔，工人和警方爆发了冲突。示威者封锁了道路和高速公路，警方则使用了催泪瓦斯和震爆弹。出于对进一步骚乱的担忧，多家工厂暂停了运营。
Several factories suspended operations amid concerns over further unrest. The six-member wage board, which includes representatives of workers and factory owners, is expected to begin formal discussions on reviewing the industry's wage structure. Workers said the existing minimum wage was no longer sufficient to meet basic household expenses after years of rising food, housing and other living costs.
这个由六名成员组成的工资委员会包括工人和工厂主的代表，预计将开始就审视该行业的工资结构展开正式讨论。
"Every month is a struggle," said Bithi Begum, a garment worker.
工人们表示，在经历了多年食品、住房和其他生活成本的上涨之后，现有的最低工资已不足以支付基本的家庭开支。
"After working hard all day, the money we earn is hardly enough to cover even our basic needs."
服装工人比蒂·贝古姆说：“每个月都在苦苦挣扎。辛苦工作了一整天后，我们赚到的钱甚至勉强够维持基本需求。”随着工厂进入春夏季订单的关键生产期，国际买家正在密切关注局势。
International buyers are closely watching the situation as factories enter a key production period for spring and summer orders. Swedish fashion retailer H&M told Reuters that some factories had closed temporarily, though it had not experienced major supply-chain disruptions.
瑞典时尚零售商H&M对路透社表示，一些工厂已临时关闭，不过该公司尚未经历重大的供应链中断。
NEED TO IMPROVE PRODUCTIVITY Manufacturers said the industry was already under pressure from rising costs, stronger regional competition, energy market uncertainty linked to conflict in the Middle East and weaker demand in key export markets.
需要提高生产力 制造商表示，该行业已经面临来自成本上升、区域竞争加剧、与中东冲突相关的能源市场不确定性以及主要出口市场需求减弱的压力。
Experts said the wage board faced the challenge of balancing workers' demands with the competitiveness of a sector that is central to Bangladesh's economy.
专家表示，工资委员会面临着平衡工人诉求与孟加拉国经济核心行业竞争力的挑战。
Selim Raihan, an economics professor at the University of Dhaka, said Bangladesh could absorb a significant wage increase without necessarily losing its competitive advantage if factories improved productivity.
达卡大学经济学教授萨利姆·赖汉表示，如果工厂提高生产力，孟加拉国完全能够承受显著的工资增长，而不一定会失去竞争优势。N他说，任何工资调整还应反映通货膨胀、生活成本以及工厂的支付能力，同时国际买家应通过更公平的采购做法和价格，帮助支持改善劳工标准。
He said any wage revision should also reflect inflation, living costs and factories' ability to pay, while international buyers should help support improved labour standards through fairer purchasing practices and prices. Raihan said prolonged labour unrest could pose a greater threat to the industry than higher wages because it undermines delivery reliability and buyer confidence.
赖汉表示，持续的劳资动荡可能比更高的工资对该行业构成更大的威胁，因为它会破坏交付可靠性和买家信心。
"Treating cheap labour as the industry's permanent competitive strategy would be a mistake," he said.
他说：“将廉价劳动力视为该行业永久的竞争策略将是一个错误。孟加拉国需要越来越多地转向生产力、可靠性、产业升级和更高价值的产品。”
"Bangladesh needs to move increasingly toward productivity, reliability, upgrading and higher-value products."