Dhaka, November 2026 : Bangladesh is witnessing escalating labour unrest as violent protests by garment workers demanding higher wages entered their fourth day on Tuesday, forcing nearly 1,000 factories to suspend operations and prompting authorities to deploy additional paramilitary personnel across key industrial areas.
The government has accused former prime minister Sheikh Hasina of instigating the unrest, alleging that supporters of her disbanded Awami League are attempting to destabilise the administration by infiltrating the workers' movement.
According to the Bangladesh Garments Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), fresh incidents of violence forced another 300 garment factories to shut down, taking the total number of affected units to nearly 1,000 since the latest round of protests began on October 31.
The unrest has spread across Dhaka and its industrial outskirts, including Gazipur, Ashulia, Mirpur and Narayanganj, as well as parts of Mymensingh district. Workers have clashed with police, blocked major roads and disrupted manufacturing activities.
The protesters are demanding a minimum monthly wage of 30,000 taka (approximately Rs 23,000), more than twice the existing minimum wage of 12,500 taka (around Rs 9,507). They argue that rising costs of food, housing, transportation and healthcare have significantly reduced their purchasing power, making the current wage structure inadequate.
Government Accuses Sheikh Hasina of Fueling Unrest
Prime Minister's Information Affairs Adviser Zahedur Rahman accused deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina of being behind the protests, claiming that attempts to disrupt the functioning of the government could continue as long as she remained alive.
"I do not believe Sheikh Hasina will let the government remain in peace as long as she is alive. As long as Hasina would remain alive, acts of sabotage could continue," Rahman told a media briefing.
He alleged that the ousted leader was among the architects of the ongoing protests. His remarks marked a shift from his earlier position that Hasina and the disbanded Awami League had become politically irrelevant in Bangladesh.
Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed had also alleged on Monday that certain garment factory owners associated with the Awami League were encouraging the unrest. He claimed that supporters of Hasina were involved in fuelling the violence.
Meanwhile, Mahdi Amin, the labour and employment adviser to Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, said the government had found evidence indicating that "fugitive evil powers" had infiltrated the workers' movement, in an apparent reference to the Awami League.
Amin said those responsible would be identified and exposed, adding that legal action would follow.
The allegations have come despite the home minister's earlier assertion in July that the Awami League had been "politically destroyed" and would not be able to return to politics in Bangladesh.
Violence Spreads Across Industrial Zones
The protests have turned violent in several industrial centres, with workers reporting injuries during confrontations with law enforcement personnel. Police have used batons and tear gas to disperse demonstrators, while witnesses said some protesters threw bricks and stones at security personnel.
According to local media reports, fresh clashes took place in Narayanganj, where garment workers blocked a key road connecting the port town with Dhaka and set fire to discarded tyres. Police responded with tear gas and baton charges to clear the route.
In the Ashulia industrial zone on the outskirts of Dhaka, Industrial Police fired tear gas and sound grenades after protesters allegedly hurled bricks and stones at security personnel. Similar confrontations were reported in the Mirpur area of the capital.
Authorities have arrested more than 100 people in connection with the unrest. Officials said around 50 of those arrested were linked to Awami League politics.
The Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) has deployed additional personnel to contain the situation. On Tuesday, the paramilitary force positioned 12 platoons in Gazipur and two platoons in Narayanganj amid continuing disturbances.
The BGB said it was closely monitoring developments in Dhaka and had established a monitoring centre at its headquarters. Drones and body-worn cameras are also being used to assess the situation and monitor sensitive locations.
Garment Industry Faces Major Economic Risks
The unrest comes at a critical time for Bangladesh's readymade garment industry, one of the country's largest sources of employment and foreign exchange earnings.
The sector employs approximately four million workers and contributes more than 80 per cent of Bangladesh's export earnings. The country is the world's second-largest garment exporter after China and supplies leading international brands, including H&M, Zara and Gap.
Manufacturers have warned that prolonged factory closures could disrupt production schedules during the peak manufacturing period for spring and summer orders. Delays in shipments could affect the confidence of overseas buyers and potentially result in order cancellations.
Bangladesh's garment manufacturers are already facing pressure from rising production costs, inflation and intense competition in international markets. Workers, meanwhile, argue that their wages have not kept pace with the rising cost of living, with inflation hovering around 8 per cent.
The latest protests reportedly began on Saturday, with workers pointing to a recent salary increase for government employees as evidence of the widening disparity in earnings.
"We pay the same prices for commodities for our living," a workers' leader told a private television channel, highlighting the financial pressures faced by garment employees.
Minimum Wage Board Yet to Begin Work
In an attempt to address the wage dispute, the government constituted a six-member minimum wage board on Sunday to review salaries in the garment sector and recommend a revised wage structure.
However, the board had not held its first meeting by Tuesday, even as demonstrations continued across industrial areas.
The workers' demand for a monthly minimum wage of 30,000 taka remains at the centre of the dispute, with manufacturers and authorities facing pressure to find a solution that addresses workers' concerns while ensuring the industry's continued operations.
Hasina fled to India after her government was ousted in a student-led uprising on August 5, 2024. A special tribunal established during the subsequent interim administration led by Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus later sentenced her to death in absentia.
With factory closures mounting and protests spreading, the government faces the challenge of restoring normalcy in the country's vital garment industry while addressing the wage demands and investigating allegations of political involvement in the unrest.
(Disclaimer :The content of this article is sourced from a news agency and has not been edited by the Mavericknews30 team.)
