Bangladesh garment plants resume after workers demand 30,000 taka wage

Bangladesh’s garment factories reopened on Monday, November 2, 2026, after a day‑long shutdown triggered by workers’ demand for a minimum monthly wage of 30,000 taka ($243), up from 12,500 taka. The ready‑made garment sector, which provides more than 80 % of the country’s export earnings, employs about 4 million people and contributes roughly 10 % to GDP. On Sunday, November 1, workers set up road blockades in several industrial zones and police in Dhaka used tear‑gas and water‑cannon to disperse them. The government responded by forming a six‑member minimum‑wage board, but the move did not stop the protests. The Bangladesh Garment and Industrial Workers Federation’s general secretary Babul Akhter warned that the nation’s garment wages are among the lowest globally and urged factory owners to negotiate better prices with overseas buyers. Factory owners pointed to rising energy costs, uncertainty in West Asian energy markets and slowing demand in key export markets as pressure points. The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) reported disruptions at 529 factories, affecting nearly one million workers. BGMEA president Mahmud Hasan Khan said the wage board is a step forward and asked workers to allow the review process, adding that if protests resume the industry may have to enforce a ‘no work, no pay’ rule. University of Dhaka economics professor Selim Raihan said the demand is understandable given high inflation, but cautioned that a steep wage hike could raise production costs, cut exporters’ margins and hurt price competitiveness. ## Context Bangladesh is the world’s second‑largest apparel exporter after China, so any slowdown in its garment sector can ripple through global fast‑fashion supply chains.