Bangladesh Garment Factories Shut Down Amid Violent Wage Protests

DHAKA, Bangladesh — Bangladeshi police deployed tear gas and stun grenades Wednesday to disperse garment workers demonstrating for higher pay, according to authorities and eyewitnesses.

Hundreds of factories remained idle following days of unrest that have paralyzed the nation’s vital garment sector, which generates roughly $40 billion annually in export revenue. Bangladesh operates approximately 2,500 garment factories.

Protesters are demanding a monthly minimum wage of 30,000 takas ($245), a significant increase from the current 12,500 takas. Workers argue that soaring inflation and rising living costs have severely diminished their purchasing power.

The industry employs roughly 4 million people, the vast majority of whom are women from rural areas.

Following days of demonstrations in the capital, Dhaka, violence erupted across several industrial zones on the city’s periphery.

In Fatullah, located in the Narayanganj district just outside Dhaka, dozens were injured during confrontations between protesters and law enforcement, according to local media reports. Police responded with tear gas and stun grenades.

Prothom Alo, Bangladesh’s largest Bengali-language daily, reported that police detained several demonstrators in Fatullah.

Approximately 100 factories remain closed in Ashulia, an industrial hub in Savar near Dhaka, confirmed Mominul Islam Bhuiyan, superintendent of Ashulia Industrial Police.

Workers also blockaded a major highway in Gazipur district, another key manufacturing center.

More than 10,000 police officers have been deployed to Dhaka’s Mirpur area, a focal point of recent unrest, to restore order, said Mahidul Islam, a joint police commissioner.

In response to the wage demands, the government has established a new wage board.

The board’s chairman, Syed Azad Subhani, stated that workers would receive their first paychecks under the revised pay structure in January.

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