Garment Workers Protest Over Wages; Wage Board Formed
Government forms new wage board after garment workers' protests and clashes in Dhaka and Gazipur over a Tk30,000 monthly minimum wage demand.
At a glance
- Workers demonstrated and blocked roads in Mirpur, Ashulia and Gazipur on October 31 and November 1, demanding a Tk30,000 monthly minimum wage.
- In Gazipur, protesters blocked several points on the Dhaka–Tangail Highway. Police used tear gas and sound grenades after some protesters threw bricks and stones, according to UNB.
- The unrest disrupted traffic and factory operations. The Daily Star reported that around 50 factories in Ashulia and Gazipur, and almost all factories in Mirpur, closed on October 31.
- The Labour Ministry formed a wage board on November 1, with representatives for employers, workers and neutral members. Its task is to recommend a minimum wage. However, no new rate has been announced.
- The current minimum wage for entry-level garment workers is Tk12,500 a month, set in 2023.
Context
The latest demonstrations followed repeated calls from garment workers for a Tk30,000 monthly minimum wage. Protests intensified as the government’s earlier promise to form a wage board by the end of October remained unfulfilled, according to worker representatives quoted by The Daily Star.
The new board includes employer representatives ABM Shamsuddin and Asif Ayub, worker representatives Babul Akhter and Anwar Hossain, and neutral member Mosleh Uddin Ahmad. The ministry has asked the board to begin proceedings to recommend a new minimum wage. The formation of the board starts that process.
Why It Matters
The dispute is about what garment wages can buy, not just the amount on a payslip. Workers say rising food, rent, transport and healthcare costs have eroded the value of the Tk12,500 minimum set in 2023. The board creates a formal route to review that wage, but does not itself increase anyone’s pay or settle the Tk30,000 demand.
Under the amended labour law, the review also approaches a scheduled deadline. The sector's minimum wage is due for reconsideration this December. A credible process may help address workers’ living-cost concerns while reducing the uncertainty affecting factories and production.
What We Think
Forming the board was a necessary step, but it is not to be presented as resolving the wage dispute. Workers have asked for higher pay; the government has begun a process to determine it. Keeping that distinction important. A settlement is more likely to last if workers see how the wage was calculated and when it takes effect.
