Bangladesh Agrees Pay Rise After Garment Protests

Developing — last updated 5 November 2026 at 16:30 PKT.

Garment workers in Bangladesh largely returned to work on Thursday after the country's garment wage board agreed to raise minimum pay, easing five days of protests that shut hundreds of factories in the world's second-largest clothing exporter. But the deal settles only the timetable, not the amount: the new wage will be announced in December and take effect in January, and isolated protests continued in some industrial areas on Thursday.

The wage board, set up by the government on Sunday to negotiate a pay rise, said the revised minimum wage would be announced in December, with workers receiving their first salaries under the new scale in January, according to the board's chairman, Syed Azad Subhani. Workers have been demanding a minimum monthly wage of 30,000 taka (about $240), a 140% increase on the current 12,500 taka.

On Thursday, factories in most industrial areas reopened. Gazi Jasim Uddin, who heads the police unit for industrial zones, told AFP that protests had dropped sharply compared with recent days and that more than 95% of garment factories in Narayanganj, a key industrial suburb of Dhaka, had resumed operations. But there were still isolated protests in Gazipur and Ashulia, also industrial areas near Dhaka, and some factories remained closed.

Five days of disruption

The unrest began on Saturday, 31 October, when garment workers walked out demanding higher pay. It spread across Dhaka and its industrial outskirts — Gazipur, Ashulia, the capital's Mirpur area, Narayanganj and Mymensingh — with workers blocking roads and highways, clashing with police and disrupting production in a sector that generates around four-fifths of Bangladesh's export earnings, worth up to $38 billion a year.

By Wednesday, the fifth day, tens of thousands of workers were marching through industrial areas. Some threw bricks, torched police vehicles and erected barricades, while police fired tear gas and used stun grenades to disperse crowds, according to reports from the scene. Dozens of people were injured in clashes in Fatullah, in Narayanganj district, according to media reports, and police said 58 officers had been injured since the protests began.

The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) said fresh violence forced another 300 factories to shut on Tuesday, taking the number of affected units to nearly 1,000 since the protests began. About 100 factories remained shut in Ashulia, in Savar near Dhaka, according to the Ashulia industrial police.

Date	Development
Saturday 31 Oct	Garment workers walk out over wages; protests begin in Dhaka's industrial belts
Sunday 1 Nov	Government forms a six-member wage board to review garment pay
Monday 2 Nov	Protests continue for a third day; hundreds of factories shut; wage board holds first meeting on Wednesday
Tuesday 3 Nov	Fourth day of protests; tear gas in Mirpur and Ashulia; paramilitary Border Guard Bangladesh deployed
Wednesday 4 Nov	Fifth day; tens of thousands march; wage board agrees to raise minimum pay, with the figure to be announced in December
Thursday 5 Nov	Workers largely return; more than 95% of factories resume in Narayanganj; isolated protests continue in Gazipur and Ashulia

The deal — and what it does not say

That uncertainty was visible on Wednesday afternoon. Protests eased after the agreement was announced, but many workers were still unsure what it meant, union leader Kamrul Hasan of the Ekota Garments Sramik Federation said, adding that most workers "did not know" how the wage board worked and were asking on social media whether their pay had increased.

BGMEA president Mahmudul Hasan said workers should go back to work. "The unrest should subside, as progress is evident now," he said. But the return has been uneven. Monowara, 35, a garment worker in Gazipur, told AFP she had been ready to resume work, but her factory had informed workers it would remain closed until Sunday. Large numbers of police officers were still patrolling the area, she said.

Why workers walked out

Workers say the current minimum wage of 12,500 taka — about $101 — no longer covers the cost of living. They cite rising prices for food, housing, transport and healthcare, and argue that persistent inflation has eroded their purchasing power. Kalpona Akter of the Bangladesh Centre for Worker Solidarity said workers actually earn about 13,000 taka a month.

The industry employs more than four million people in a country of 170 million, and Bangladesh is the world's second-biggest garment exporter behind China, making clothes for some of the world's best-known brands. The sector has long been dogged by complaints over pay, working conditions and labour rights, and wage reviews are scheduled every three years — the current review period ends in December, which is when the board says it will announce the new figure.

The political charge

The government has accused figures linked to the deposed former prime minister Sheikh Hasina of fuelling the unrest. Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed alleged that industrialists and factory owners linked to the former Awami League government were instigating the protests, and said some former lawmakers and ministers were involved. Dhaka Metropolitan Police said on Tuesday they had arrested 33 people linked to Hasina's now-banned Awami League over their alleged involvement in the unrest over the past 24 hours.

The allegation has become part of the dispute itself: the interim government, which took office after Hasina's fall, says the unrest is being orchestrated; workers' representatives say the protests are about pay. The charge has not been independently verified, and the wage dispute — the demand for 30,000 taka — predates the political claims.

"The unrest should subside, as progress is evident now." — Mahmudul Hasan, president of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association, urging workers to return to work

What we know — and what we don't

What we know

• The garment wage board agreed on Wednesday to raise minimum pay; the new figure will be announced in December and take effect in January.
• Workers are demanding 30,000 taka a month, up from the current 12,500 taka — a 140% increase.
• Protests ran for five days from 31 October, shutting nearly 1,000 factories at their peak, according to the BGMEA.
• Workers largely returned on Thursday, with more than 95% of factories resuming in Narayanganj, according to industrial police.

What we don't know yet

• How much the minimum wage will actually rise — that figure comes in December.
• Whether the isolated protests in Gazipur and Ashulia will spread again, or fade as factories reopen.
• How much production and export orders were lost during the five days of disruption.

Frequently asked questions

How much do Bangladeshi garment workers earn now?

The current minimum wage is 12,500 taka a month (about $101), set in 2023. Workers' representatives say most workers actually earn around 13,000 taka. The demand is for 30,000 taka, about $240.

When will the new wage be announced?

The wage board says the new minimum wage will be announced in December and take effect in January, with workers receiving their first salaries under the new scale in January.

How big is Bangladesh's garment industry?

It is the world's second-largest garment exporter after China, with about 2,500 factories and more than four million workers. The sector generates around four-fifths of Bangladesh's export earnings, worth up to $38 billion a year.

Are the protests over?

Mostly, but not entirely. Workers largely returned on Thursday and protests dropped sharply, according to industrial police, but isolated demonstrations continued in Gazipur and Ashulia, and some factories stayed closed.

Why does the government blame the former prime minister?

Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed has alleged that industrialists and factory owners linked to the former Awami League government instigated the unrest. Police arrested 33 people linked to the party. The allegation has not been independently verified.

What to watch next

The next milestone is December, when the wage board announces the new minimum wage. Until then, watch whether the isolated protests in Gazipur and Ashulia die down or reignite, whether factories that stayed closed reopen on schedule, and whether the government or the BGMEA puts a figure on the production lost during the five days of disruption. If the December figure falls far short of the 30,000 taka demand, a second round of protests is a real possibility — and the board's credibility will be tested by how it handles the gap.