{"id":3669,"date":"2026-11-02T14:03:57","date_gmt":"2026-11-02T09:03:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/?p=3669"},"modified":"2026-11-02T14:03:57","modified_gmt":"2026-11-02T09:03:57","slug":"bangladesh-garment-factories-reopen-amid-wage-unrest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/?p=3669","title":{"rendered":"Bangladesh garment factories reopen amid wage unrest"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Bangladesh\u2019s garment factories reopened on Monday after widespread closures and production disruptions a day earlier, but manufacturers remain concerned about further unrest over workers\u2019 demands for higher wages.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The ready-made garment sector accounts for more than 80% of Bangladesh\u2019s export earnings, employs about 4 million workers and contributes around 10% to \u200bgross domestic product.<\/p>\n

The latest unrest disrupted operations in key manufacturing hubs and raised concerns over export \u200bshipments and buyer confidence in Bangladesh, the world\u2019s second-largest apparel exporter after China, as \u2060workers demanded a minimum monthly wage of 30,000 taka ($243), up from 12,500 taka.<\/p>\n

The demand reflects mounting pressure \u200bfrom rising living costs and persistent inflation.<\/p>\n

The government formed a six-member minimum wage board<\/a> on Sunday to review \u200bthe demand, but the move failed to immediately quell unrest.<\/p>\n

Workers set up road blockades in several industrial areas on Sunday, with police in the capital Dhaka using tear gas and water cannons to disperse protesters.<\/p>\n

\u201cBangladesh has among the lowest garment wages \u200bin the world,\u201d said Babul Akhter, general secretary of the Bangladesh Garment and Industrial Workers Federation and \u200ba workers\u2019 representative on the wage board.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf factory owners cannot pay workers properly, they should negotiate better prices with international \u200cbuyers. They \u2060cannot build a business on the backs of underpaid workers.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/a>No work, no pay<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Factory owners said the industry faces<\/a> higher costs, energy market uncertainty linked to conflict in the Middle East and slowing demand in key export markets.<\/p>\n

The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) said demonstrations in multiple cities disrupted operations at 529 factories and \u200baffected nearly 1 million \u200bworkers.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe government has already \u2060taken a step by forming the wage board. We expect workers to allow the review process to proceed,\u201d said BGMEA President Mahmud Hasan Khan.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf protests break out \u200blater in the day and we are forced to shut factories, we will \u200bhave no option \u2060but to invoke the \u2018no work, no pay\u2019 provision,\u201d he said, adding that industry representatives were scheduled to meet the home minister to discuss the unrest.<\/p>\n

Selim Raihan, an economics professor at the University of Dhaka, said workers\u2019 demands were \u2060understandable given \u200bhigh inflation, and suppressed wages could cause further unrest.<\/p>\n

However, he \u200bcautioned that a substantial wage increase could raise production costs, squeeze exporters\u2019 profit margins and weaken Bangladesh\u2019s price competitiveness.<\/p>\n

\u201cA phased wage adjustment, improved \u200bproductivity and fairer pricing from international buyers are essential to balancing workers\u2019 welfare with industrial sustainability.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Bangladesh\u2019s garment factories reopened on Monday after widespread closures and production disruptions a day earlier, but manufacturers remain concerned about further unrest over workers\u2019 demands for higher wages. The ready-made garment sector accounts for more than 80% of Bangladesh\u2019s export earnings, employs about 4 million workers and contributes around 10% to \u200bgross domestic product. The latest unrest disrupted operations in key manufacturing hubs and raised concerns over export \u200bshipments and buyer confidence in Bangladesh, the world\u2019s second-largest apparel exporter after China, as \u2060workers demanded a minimum monthly wage of 30,000…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3669","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-english"],"gutentor_comment":0,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3669","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3669"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3669\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3669"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3669"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3669"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}