Bangladesh will establish a wage board on Sunday to review garment workers’ pay after protests closed dozens of factories and led to clashes with police. Workers are seeking a minimum monthly wage of 30,000 taka ($245), up from the current 12,500 taka, as higher food, housing, transport and healthcare costs reduce their purchasing power. Labour and Employment Minister Ariful Haque Chowdhury said the board would be formally constituted after talks with labour leaders and industry representatives. The unrest threatens disruption to Bangladesh’s ready-made garment industry, which employs about 4 million people, generates more than 80% of export earnings, contributes about 10% of gross domestic product and supplies many leading Western brands. The sector, the world’s largest after China, is also facing higher production costs, periodic gas and electricity shortages, and energy-market uncertainty linked to tensions in the Middle East.