Why are Bangladesh's garment workers protesting over pay?
Hundreds of thousands of garment workers have taken to the streets around Dhaka, and hundreds of factories have stopped work. The protests hit at the start of the industry's busiest season, in a country that depends on clothing for most of its exports.
THE SHORT ANSWER
Because workers say the minimum wage of 12,500 taka a month, about $100, no longer covers food and rent after prices rose. They want 30,000 taka, a rise of 140%. The wage was set in 2023, and unions point to a fuel crisis and inflation since. Protests began on 31 October around Dhaka and shut hundreds of factories. The government formed a wage board on 1 November to recommend a new minimum.
What happened
Protests began on Saturday 31 October in industrial areas around Dhaka, the capital. Arab News reports that smaller protests had started in mid-October. By Sunday and Monday, the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), the main owners' body, said up to 800 factories had stopped work. Counts differ by day and by source. On Monday, the Daily Star reported 264 factories closed in Savar and Ashulia alone. On Tuesday, BGMEA said more than 300 factories had suspended operations, affecting nearly 700,000 workers.
Police have used tear gas, sound grenades and, in some places, water cannon. Workers have thrown bricks and stones, set tyres alight and blocked highways, including the one linking Dhaka with the north. Police arrested four people in Dhaka's Mirpur area on Tuesday. On Wednesday, dozens of people were reported injured in Fatullah, outside Dhaka, and about 100 factories were still shut in Ashulia. More than 10,000 police officers were deployed in Mirpur. Sparrow Group, which makes clothes for brands including Zara, Gap and Marks & Spencer, halted production on 2 November after a large crowd attacked its factory. The reports do not say who was behind that attack.
The government formed a six-member wage board on Sunday 1 November. It includes union and factory owner representatives. Prime Minister Tarique Rahman held an emergency meeting with ministers and advisers. The board's chairman, Syed Azad Subhani, said workers would receive their first salaries under the new pay scale in January. Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed said on Tuesday that certain quarters with ulterior political motives were inciting the violence.
Why it matters
Bangladesh is the world's second-largest clothing exporter after China. Garments bring in more than 80% of its export earnings, and the industry employs about 4 million people, mostly women from rural areas. The strike has stopped production just as factories were due to start spring collections for brands such as H&M, Primark and Walmart. Executives say buyers are already calling about shipments.
- For garment workers, The 12,500 taka minimum is among the lowest in garment-exporting countries, and they say it has been eroded by higher living costs. Their demands also include an end to the blacklisting of workers.
- For factory owners, They face higher costs, energy uncertainty and slowing demand in some markets, and say some of this is outside their control. Smaller suppliers may struggle to afford a much higher wage.
- For global brands, Delayed shipments are a worry now. Buyers could also come under pressure to pay suppliers more, or to move some orders to rivals such as Vietnam, Cambodia or India.
- For the government, It must keep the export sector running while answering the workers' demands. It has already said it suspects political motives behind some of the violence.
The background: a low-wage export industry built over four decades
From muslin to mills
The region that is now Bangladesh has a long history of textile making. Dhaka and the surrounding areas were known for fine cotton cloth, especially muslin. At the Partition of India in 1947, the territory that became East Pakistan held about 11 textile mills.
After independence, large textile firms were nationalised in 1972. The state later moved back towards private ownership, and under a 1982 programme mills were returned or sold to private owners.
The garment export boom
Bangladesh's export garment industry began developing in the late 1970s. An early venture linked Desh Garments with South Korea's Daewoo. In 1979, Desh sent 130 employees to Daewoo's factory in Busan for training, and production began at Desh in 1980. Many of those trained later moved to other firms or started their own, which helped spread the know-how.
Factories could import materials duty-free through bonded warehouses. International quotas on clothing trade also shaped the industry. They ended on 1 January 2005. As a least developed country, Bangladesh also has duty-free, quota-free access to the European Union, which is now its largest regional market.
Disasters and safety reform
A fire at the Tazreen Fashions factory in November 2012 killed more than 110 workers. On 24 April 2013, Rana Plaza, a building in Savar that housed five garment factories, collapsed. It killed at least 1,132 people and injured more than 2,500. It remains the deadliest garment-factory disaster in history.
Brands and trade unions then set up the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh in 2013. Its work included building, fire and electrical inspections and a complaints mechanism for workers. It continues under the Bangladesh Safety Agreement, which took effect in November 2023. As of 31 August 2026, it covered 1,759 factories employing about 2.8 million workers.
How the minimum wage has moved
Minimum pay for garment workers is set by government wage boards. The minimum was set at 12,500 taka in November 2023, a rise of more than 56%. Earlier increases ranged from 50% to 77%. From 1 December 2024, the government also raised the annual wage increment from 5% to 9%.
Since 2023, the cost of living has risen. Arab News links this to a fuel crisis and inflation tied to the war involving Iran. Severe gas and electricity shortages also disrupted production during 2026. The Straits Times reports that clients were already worried after those shortages and after the mass anti-government protests of 2024.
The unrest of 2026
Smaller protests began in mid-October 2026 and grew into the largest in years. Workers say the wage no longer covers food and rent. Union leader Babul Akhter, who sits on the new wage board for workers, says Bangladesh has "among the lowest garment wages in the world". He argues that owners who cannot pay properly should negotiate better prices with international buyers.
Owners point to higher costs and slowing demand. The reports so far do not say what figure they would accept.
GOOD TO KNOW
The workers' demand of 30,000 taka is a 140% rise. The 2023 increase, the most recent, was a little over 56%, and earlier rises ranged from 50% to 77%.
What is the wage board and how long will it take?
The wage board is the body that recommends a new minimum wage. This one has six members, including representatives of unions and factory owners. The labour ministry's secretary, Abdur Rahman Tarafder, said it will weigh inflation, economic conditions, living costs and export performance.
BGMEA director Faisal Samad said a concrete proposal will take some time, and that in earlier cases it took around three months. Chairman Subhani has said the first pay under the new scale would come in January. The American Apparel & Footwear Association, which includes top US companies, called the board a "critical opportunity" to deliver a fair wage and asked for an annual review process.
Timeline: 1947 to today
ROOTS OF THE INDUSTRY
At the Partition of India, the territory that became East Pakistan holds about 11 composite textile mills.
After independence, large textile enterprises are nationalised and the Bangladesh Textile Mills Corporation is set up.
Garment production begins at Desh Garments, after its staff trained at South Korea's Daewoo in 1979.
A denationalisation programme returns or sells textile mills to private owners.
QUOTAS AND DISASTERS
The international textile quota system ends and clothing trade comes under normal trade rules.
A fire at the Tazreen Fashions factory kills more than 110 workers.
Brands and trade unions establish the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh.
Rana Plaza collapses in Savar, killing at least 1,132 people.
THE 2023 WAGE
The garment minimum wage is set at 12,500 taka a month, a rise of more than 56%.
The annual wage increment for garment workers rises from 5% to 9%.
THE 2026 PROTESTS
Smaller protests over pay begin in garment areas.
Larger protests begin around Dhaka, demanding a minimum wage of 30,000 taka.
The government forms a six-member wage board to review the minimum wage.
Up to 800 factories stop work as hundreds of thousands of workers block streets in Dhaka and nearby industrial areas.
Police fire tear gas and stun grenades as protests spread around Dhaka, and buyers call about delayed shipments.
What to watch next
- The wage board's recommendation. Chairman Syed Azad Subhani says first pay under the new scale would come in January, while BGMEA's Faisal Samad says earlier boards took around three months.
- Whether factories reopen. Hundreds of factories were still shut on Wednesday, including about 100 in Ashulia, and clashes continued in Fatullah and Gazipur.
- Buyer reaction. Executives say clients are already worried about shipments due in November, in the industry's busiest season.
- Trade status. Bangladesh is scheduled to leave the UN's least-developed-country category on 24 November 2026, and the government has requested a three-year extension that the General Assembly has yet to decide.
Sources
- ABC News4 NOV 2026
- The Straits Times4 NOV 2026
- The Daily Star4 NOV 2026
- The Canberra Times3 NOV 2026
- arabnews.com2 NOV 2026
- Al Jazeera2 NOV 2026
How this article was made: Implica's editorial system wrote it from the news reports above, with the background drawn from Wikipedia: Textile industry in Bangladesh, Rana Plaza collapse, Child labour in Bangladesh.