Bangladesh announced a six-member wage board on Sunday to review garment workers' pay and urged employees to return to work, but protests demanding higher wages continued across major industrial areas, disrupting transport and factory operations, Reuters reported. This is a new development from Saturday, when — as Awaaz Punjab reported earlier today — the government had said it would formally constitute the board on Sunday after protests shut about 30 factories in Ashulia.
Source: Reuters via Cruisin' 929, Nov 1, 2026 (updated 07:15 UTC)
Workers are demanding a minimum monthly wage of 30,000 taka ($245) — yaani more than double the current minimum — against the current 12,500 taka, saying rising costs of food, housing, transport and healthcare have sharply eroded their purchasing power, Reuters said.
Labour and Employment Minister Ariful Haque Chowdhury said the wage board was formed after discussions with workers' representatives and industry leaders and urged workers to resume work, Reuters reported.
Tear gas in Dhaka, factories shut again
Police used tear gas and water cannon to disperse workers who had blocked a busy intersection in Dhaka, police said, according to Reuters. The demonstrations forced owners to shut 25 to 30 factories, while authorities deployed Border Guard Bangladesh personnel to maintain order, Gazipur Industrial Police Superintendent Mohammad Amjad Hossain said.
The latest unrest follows demonstrations in Ashulia, a major garment manufacturing hub on the outskirts of Dhaka, where dozens of factories suspended operations on Saturday after workers staged protests demanding higher pay. Saturday's protests had prompted about 30 factories in Ashulia to declare holidays, Ashulia Industrial Police Superintendent Mohammad Mominul Islam Bhuiyan had said.
Source: Reuters via Superhits 97.9, Nov 1, 2026
Bangladesh's ready-made garment industry is the world's largest after China, employs about 4 million workers, generates more than 80% of the country's export earnings and supplies clothing to many leading Western brands, Reuters said. It contributes about 10% of gross domestic product and is the backbone of the economy.
Manufacturers, however, said the sector faces mounting challenges, including rising production costs, periodic gas and electricity shortages, and uncertainty in energy markets linked to tensions in the Middle East, Reuters reported. What happens next depends on how quickly the new wage board meets and whether worker representatives accept its process — the protests were still continuing when Reuters last updated its report on Sunday.