Bangladesh Establishes Wage Board Following Garment Industry Protests
Bangladesh establishes a new wage board to review minimum pay for garment workers as thousands continue protesting in Dhaka and clash with security forces.
At a glance
- Bangladesh formed a six-member panel tasked to establish a fresh salary structure for apparel employees.
- Thousands of workers demanding higher pay continued protesting around Dhaka, leading to clashes with police.
- Workers want the monthly minimum wage raised from 12,500 taka to 30,000 taka to combat rising living costs.
Bangladesh has established a new wage board to review the minimum pay for garment workers in an effort to end demonstrations disrupting major industrial zones. Despite the announcement on Sunday, thousands of workers demanding higher wages continued protesting around the capital, Dhaka. Clashes were reported with police, who fired tear gas and sound grenades.
The garment sector forms the core of the nation's export economy, providing millions of jobs and driving foreign earnings. Protesters are seeking a monthly minimum wage of 30,000 taka, up from the current 12,500 taka, citing soaring expenses for food, housing, transport, and healthcare.
Government and industry response
The newly formed six-member board features representatives from the government, workers, and factory owners to fix a new minimum pay standard. M Sakhawat Hossain Chowdhury, serving as the adviser for the ministry of labour and employment, stated that the wage board issue has been resolved and urged employees to resume their duties.
Labour and Employment Minister Ariful Haque Chowdhury cautioned that extended factory shutdowns might stall export shipments and payments from global buyers. Meanwhile, Mohammad Mominul Islam Bhuiyan, who commands the ashulia industrial police as superintendent, noted that the demonstrations caused about 30 garment factories near Dhaka to declare holidays, with several injuries reported from clashes in Ashulia.
Economic stakes behind the protests
The unrest highlights the severe economic pressures facing both workers and manufacturers in Bangladesh's massive garment industry, which ranks as the world's largest after China's and accounts for roughly 10 percent of gross domestic product. While employees argue that current wages fail to cover basic living costs, manufacturers point to increasing production expenses, energy shortages, and broader global supply uncertainties.
How the new wage board balances these competing pressures will determine stability in the country's primary export sector.
What to watch: The six-member wage board's deliberations on setting a new minimum wage for garment workers.
Reporting from: Al Jazeera. Spotted an error? Tell us.
- Bangladesh
- Garment Workers
- Minimum Wage
- Protests
- Economy
- World
- Politics