In brief
Bangladesh’s government has created a six‑member wage board to review the minimum monthly wage for garment workers, after workers began striking for a raise from 12,500 to 30,000 taka. Protesters remain outside factories in Dhaka, clashing with police who used tear gas and sound grenades. Labour officials warn that extended shutdowns could delay export shipments and hurt the country’s key industry.
Bangladesh’s government announced the formation of a new wage board to review the minimum wage for garment workers, even as protests that began on Saturday continue to occupy the capital and outskirts of Dhaka.
The six‑member board will include government officials, worker representatives and factory owners, and is tasked with determining a new minimum wage for the industry’s millions of employees.
"The issue of forming the wage board has been resolved. There will be no more problems now," the Ministry of Labour and Employment adviser M Sakhawat Hossain Chowdhury told reporters.
"The workers should return to work and work smoothly,"
Workers are demanding a monthly minimum wage of 30,000 taka (about $242), more than double the current 12,500 taka (about $101), citing rising costs for food, housing, transport and healthcare. They have held strikes, forcing about 30 garment factories on the outskirts of Dhaka to declare holidays.
Clashes between workers and police were reported in Ashulia; tear gas and sound grenades were fired, injuring several people, including police officers.
Labour and Employment Minister Ariful Haque Chowdhury warned that prolonged factory closures could delay export shipments and payment from international buyers, adding further strain to manufacturers and workers alike.
The garment sector, the world’s second‑largest after China, contributes about 10 percent of Bangladesh’s gross domestic product, but manufacturers face rising production costs, periodic gas and electricity shortages, and uncertainty linked to global energy markets.
