World

Bangladesh Garment Workers Protest for Double Minimum Wage Amid Rising Inflation

By Moudud Ahmmed Sujan

Tens of thousands of garment workers in Bangladesh, the world’s second‑largest apparel exporter, have taken to the streets demanding a higher minimum wage. In Dhaka, 37‑year‑old Laili Begum, an experienced sewing operator at Virtual Bottoms Limited, said she can no longer afford to keep her two children in school. She earns about 15,000 taka ($121) a month, rising to 18,000–20,000 taka ($145–$161) when she works overtime. Her 15‑year‑old daughter and 12‑year‑old son dropped out of school earlier this year because of the cost of education. “We can barely afford one proper meal a day. This morning, we had only puffed rice and Bombay mix. There was nothing for lunch. We’ve been going hungry, hoping to have a proper meal tonight,” Begum told Al Jazeera. “My son is so thin that you can count every rib in his chest. What else can I do?”

Bangladesh’s ready‑made garment sector accounts for more than 80 percent of the country’s export earnings, which reached $39 bn last financial year. Yet workers say their pay no longer covers basic living costs. The country’s minimum wage for garment workers is 12,500 taka ($102) per month, while Cambodia sets it at $210, Vietnam at $140–$210, and China’s Guangdong province at $286–$378. Workers have demanded a minimum wage of 30,000 taka ($241), more than double the current rate.

On Saturday, workers staged protests and struck, demanding higher wages. On Sunday, Begum joined a protest in the Jamgora part of the Ashulia industrial area on the outskirts of Dhaka. Police used tear gas, stun grenades and arrested dozens of demonstrators. The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association said the demonstrations disrupted operations at 529 factories and affected nearly a million workers.

The government announced the formation of a six‑member wage board to review the demands. However, workers returned to the streets for a third straight day on Monday. In Gazipur, they blocked the Dhaka‑Tangail highway, vandalised and torched several vehicles, and clashes with police were reported from the neighbouring Mirpur district.

Rasel Khan, a 30‑year‑old garment worker at Ashulia, said his monthly earnings of 18,000–20,000 taka ($145–$161) are no longer enough to support his family, which includes his mother, younger brother, wife and child. He has accumulated a debt of about 100,000 taka ($805) to meet his needs. Inflation has continued to rise, with official data showing an annual inflation rate of 8.34 percent in September, including 7.22 percent for food and 9.30 percent for non‑food expenses.

Begum pays 3,500 taka ($28) as rent for a single room shared with her mother and children. She burns discarded paper and other materials to cook because she cannot afford a gas cylinder that costs about 2,200 taka ($18). Zahid Hussain, a former lead economist at the World Bank’s Dhaka office, said persistent inflation over the past five years has sharply eroded the purchasing power of low‑paid workers.

The government’s announcement of a wage board follows an amendment to labour laws that reduced the wage review cycle from five years to three years. The current three‑year period ends in December. Prime Minister Tarique Rahman convened an emergency meeting of top government officials on Sunday, while Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed met the garment factory owners on Monday, assuring them that a new minimum wage would be fixed through negotiations. Labour Minister Ariful Haque Choudhury urged workers to resume work, saying the wage board would begin its deliberations shortly.

Babul Akhter, a workers’ representative on the board, called for the new wages to take effect with January 2027 salaries and demanded the release of arrested workers and withdrawal of cases against them.

The impending wage negotiations come at a challenging time for Bangladesh’s garment industry, as manufacturers balance workers’ demands for better wages with rising production costs and intensifying global competition. Sheikh Hossain Muhammad Mustafiz, an official at the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association and managing director of Cute Dress Industry Ltd, told Al Jazeera that fair wages and employment security must go hand in hand with the ability to compete in the international market. He said workers deserve wages that support a decent standard of living, but without fair purchasing prices from international brands, significant wage increases could put pressure on factories and threaten employment.

Taqbir Huda, a senior fellow at the University of Oxford’s Tech Global Institute, accused western brands that buy Bangladeshi garments of not addressing workers’ rights. He said the wage board, announced only after the workers began their protest, does not meet their demands unless it addresses rising inflation and the cost‑of‑living crisis. For Begum, a drawn‑out process to decide the new wages means another month of struggle to feed her family. She said, “Wages must rise, but food prices must also come down.”