Bangladesh garment workers protest for higher wages, dozens of factories close

Thousands of textile workers in Bangladesh took to the streets on Sunday to demand higher wages, causing clashes with police, highway blockades, and the shutdown of dozens of factories.

Workers are demanding that the monthly minimum wage be raised from 12,500 takas, about 102 US dollars, to 30,000 takas, about 245 US dollars. This represents an increase of 140 percent. The workers argue that rising food, rent, transport, and healthcare costs have severely damaged their purchasing power.

“Workers at factories that declare holidays because of work stoppages often do not know if management representatives have spoken to them about their demands.”

In the capital, Dhaka, police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse workers who had blocked a major intersection. Some demonstrators threw bricks at security officers during the clashes.

In Gazipur, hundreds of workers stopped traffic on a strategic highway on the outskirts of the capital. The mobilization disrupted transport and the operation of industrial units in the region.

The superintendent of Gazipur Industrial Police said the protests led business owners to suspend activities at 25 to 30 factories. Authorities mobilized members of the Bangladesh Border Guard to reinforce security amid the worsening clashes.

In Savar, more than 50 factories declared holidays, according to the superintendent of Ashulia Industrial Police-1. Workers at several factories, including Al-Muslim Apparels and facilities belonging to the New Age Group, stopped work and remained inside their workplaces.

The government announced the formation of a six-member wage council to review sector pay after negotiations with worker and business representatives. However, this initiative did not stop the demonstrations, which intensified in major industrial regions.