Garment workers in Bangladesh staged a fourth consecutive day of wage protests on November 3, 2026, prompting police to fire tear gas and sound grenades during clashes in major industrial belts around Dhaka. Demonstrators demanding a minimum monthly wage increase to 30,000 taka ($245) forced nearly 700 factories to suspend operations. The unrest threatens peak production for global brands like H&M and Zara, risking Bangladesh's $40 billion apparel export sector.
Timeline and spread of the protests
- ▪Garment workers in Bangladesh staged a fourth day of wage protests
- ▪Protests by garment workers in Bangladesh began on Saturday, October 31, 2026, and intensified in Dhaka, Ashulia, Gazipur and Mirpur
Workers' demands and cost-of-living drivers
- ▪Factory workers in Bangladesh cited rising inflation and cost increases in food, cooking gas, and electricity bills as the main drivers for their wage demands
- ▪Bangladesh garment workers requested government mandates directing landlords not to raise rents and ensuring essential commodity prices remain affordable
- ▪Bangladesh garment workers are demanding a minimum monthly wage of 30,000 taka ($242–$245), more than doubling the current standard of 12,500 to 13,000 taka
Factory closures and supply chain impact
- ▪Industry officials warned that prolonged, protest-related factory closures could delay global shipments and damage Bangladesh's standing against apparel export rivals Vietnam and India
- ▪Nearly 700 garment factories in Bangladesh shut on November 2, 2026, with hundreds remaining closed in Gazipur and Ashulia on November 3, 2026
Police response and enforcement actions
- ▪Dhaka police arrested at least 29 protesters by November 2, 2026, while Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed threatened punitive action against individuals attempting to destabilize the country
- ▪Police fired tear gas and sound grenades at garment workers in Ashulia and Mirpur after demonstrators threw bricks and stones, resulting in dozens of injuries to protesters and police officers
Government response and wage board appeals
- ▪Bangladesh's government formed a six-member wage board on November 1, 2026, to review pay in the garment sector, and Prime Minister Tarique Rahman held an emergency ministerial meeting
- ▪Babul Akhter, a workers' representative on Bangladesh's wage board, urged protesting garment workers to return to work while promising to advocate for fair wages
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