BBC News reports that “hundreds” of factories in Bangladesh have closed amid ongoing demonstrations and “at least 29” protesters arrested for closing roads and vandalising factories.
Today marks the fourth day of protests in Dhaka following a dispute over wages in Bangladesh’s readymade garment sector.
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On 1 November, the government announced it had formed a board to review worker wages as Prime Minister Tarique Rahman held an emergency meeting with ministers.
Local news outlet The Daily Star reports that Dhaka University’s Professor Mosleh Uddin Ahmen has been named as an independent member of the board alongside representatives for employers and workers. The body aims to determine a new minimum wage for the sector.
Despite the formation of the board on Sunday, protests have continued.
In response to rising living costs, the IndustriALL Bangladesh Council previously called for a minimum monthly wage of TK32,085 (US$250) for workers in the ready-made garment sector. This is more than double the current standard wage in Bangladesh, which sees garment workers take home an average of TK13,000 ($105).
The last wage review for garment workers in the country took place in 2023, when minimum wages were raised to TK12,500 ($114) a month, substantially lower than the TK20,393 ($184.6) initially demanded by the worker representative on the Bangladesh Minimum Wage Board.
Bangladesh is the second-largest apparel exporter in the world after China and employs more than 4 million workers, supplying global fashion giants including H&M, Primark and Inditex.
The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) had not responded to Just Style’s request for comment at the time of writing.
