Bangladesh garment workers' wage protests escalate after wage board announcement

Bangladesh garment workers have staged fresh protests demanding a higher minimum wage, blockading key routes and clashing with police, which forced factory closures and drew Border Guard Bangladesh deployments. Thousands of garment workers staged fresh demonstrations on Sunday, November 1. Police used tear gas and water cannon to disperse workers who had blocked a busy intersection in Dhaka, and some protesters hurled bricks at officers during the clashes.

Hundreds of workers also blocked a major highway in Gazipur, disrupting transport in one of the country's key industrial belts. The demonstrations forced owners to shut 25 to 30 factories. Authorities deployed Border Guard Bangladesh personnel to maintain order in Gazipur. Garment workers also torched a police box in Gazipur. The latest unrest follows demonstrations in Ashulia, a major garment manufacturing hub on the outskirts of Dhaka, where dozens of factories suspended operations on Saturday after workers staged protests.

Government responds with wage board

Bangladesh announced a six-member wage board on Sunday, November 1 to review garment workers' pay. Labour and Employment Minister Ariful Haque Chowdhury said the government would formally constitute the wage board after discussions with labour leaders and industry representatives. Minister Chowdhury warned that prolonged disruptions could delay export shipments and payments from international buyers. He urged workers to return to work, saying the government's decision addressed their key demand. Labour and Employment Minister Ariful Haque Chowdhury said: "the wage board was formed after discussions with workers' representatives and industry leaders and urged workers to resume work."

Economic weight of the walkout

The dispute has raised concerns about disruption to an industry that employs about 4 million workers. The garment industry generates more than 80 per cent of Bangladesh's export earnings and supplies clothing to many leading Western brands. Bangladesh's ready-made garment industry, the world's largest after China, contributes about 10% of gross domestic product.

Workers are demanding a minimum monthly wage of 30,000 taka (US$245), more than double the current 12,500 taka. Rising costs of food, housing, transport and healthcare have sharply eroded workers' purchasing power. The government has appealed for workers to return to work while the wage board begins its review.