Wage Protest and Arrest of Union Leaders, Bangladesh - 2026
Protest of garment workers and clash with police in Gazipur. © INKOTA
On November 4th, the newly formed wage board agreed to implement a revised pay structure for garment workers starting in December. Garment workers protested over wages and during the protests 10 union leaders were arrested. Based on reporting in media in Bangladesh and by IndustriAll and Clean Clothes Campaign, over 600 factories in and around Dhaka have closed due to protests that started last weekend by garment workers calling for a Tk 32,000 (260 USD, 230 EUR) minimum wage. Again protest starts by garment workers, among them were also workers from the Divine Textile, on November 4th and massive clashes with police in Savar and Gazipur (important garment manufacturing hubs in Dhaka). Roads and highways were blocked, the police used tear gas and sound grenades. Hundreds of garment factories have shut this week. Alongside a wage increase, workers are demanding an end of the practices like blacklisting and union-busting. “These demands should be taken up by the newly formed Wage Board.” The Minimum Wage Board met for the first time on 4 November. The government has committed to announcing the new wage before December, with workers receiving it from January 2027. The board meets again on 9th November. During the protest IndustriALL Bangladesh Council (IBC) affiliates were arrested, among them Ali Asgar, acting general secretary of the Garments Tailors Workers League. Leaders from other union alliances have also been detained. The IBC reporting and is demanding: “According to the IBC, those arrested were not involved in the unrest. Police have also raided union offices and the homes of union leaders. Kalpona Akter, President of the Bangladesh Garment & Industrial Workers Federation said: "Workers know very well what they are risking when they go and protest. But the unrest that we have seen in the past couple of days is the result of a strong feeling of injustice about how wealth is distributed in this supply chain, and years of trying to get by on a wage that is simply not enough," The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) has threatened to invoke the “no work, no pay” provision if protests continue. Based on reporting by the Clean Clothes Campaign, and external sources the current minimum wage negotiations are taking place for Bangladesh's most important sector against this backdrop of historical tensions as well as the economic reality of high inflation (consistently above 8.5% for the past 3 years) and soaring prices of basic goods. The media Reuters inform: "The sector employs about 4 million workers, generates more than 80% of Bangladesh's export earnings and supplies brands including H&M (HMb.ST), opens new tab, Inditex's (ITX.MC), opens new tab Zara and Walmart (WMT.O), opens new tab."Every month is a struggle," said Bithi Begum, a garment worker. "After working hard all day, the money we earn is hardly enough to cover even our basic needs." International retailers are closely monitoring the situation as factories enter a key production period for spring and summer orders. H&M told Reuters some factories had temporarily closed, although it had not experienced major supply-chain disruptions." Protest of garment workers and clash with police, Bangladesh. © INKOTA
© INKOTA
Basic Information
Case ID: 2026.017
Identification Number from Open Supply Hub (OS-ID): BD20222988RC6TB
Affected Country: Bangladesh
Date of occurrence: 2026-11-04
Social Sector Risks concerned:
- Freedom of association and collective bargaining (Conventions Nr. 11 & 87 & 98 & 135 & 141 & 154; Recommendations Nr. 91 & 143)
- Wages (Conventions Nr. 26 & 102 & 131 & 177 & 181; FAO)
Supplier Details
DIVINE TEXTILE LTD. (Unit2)
House # 348, Road # 26, New DOHS, Mohakhali Kafrul, Dhaka
Gazipur
Dhaka
Bangladesh
Phone
+880 29886163
Production Site
DIVINE TEXTILE LTD.
Chandra, Kaliakoir Gazipur 1750 Dhaka
Gazipur
Dhaka
Bangladesh
Known certifications:
Social & Labor Convergence Program (SLCP) Partnership for Sustainable Textile (PST) International Accord
Source of information about certifications:
https://opensupplyhub.org/production-locations/BD20222988RC6TB
Phone number of production site: +880 682251229
Total number of workers/employees:
2583
No gender specific information available.
Workers movement
No information about unions available.
No information about workers commitee available.
Business Relations
Known Buyer/Brands:
- Tchibo GmbH
Source of information buyers:
https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/423378/police-garment-workers-clash-as-gazipur%E2%80%99s-chandra
"Garment exports from Bangladesh increased by 4.9% to $3.17 billion in October 2026, from $3.02 billion in October 2025. Brands like H&M, Zara, Primark and Uniqlo - all with a significant presence in Bangladesh - have all recorded 10-digit profits in 2025: Inditex (Zara): 6.2 billion USD, Fast Retailing (Uniqlo): 4.5 billion USD, H&M: 1.8 billion and Primark (part of ABF): 1.4 billion (https://cleanclothes.org/news/2026/pressrelease-support-32000taka-bangladesh)"
Further information about buyer's sources:
"The sector employs about 4 million workers, generates more than 80% of Bangladesh's export earnings and supplies brands including H&M (HMb.ST), opens new tab, Inditex's (ITX.MC), opens new tab Zara and Walmart (WMT.O), opens new tab.
"Every month is a struggle," said Bithi Begum, a garment worker. "After working hard all day, the money we earn is hardly enough to cover even our basic needs."
International retailers are closely monitoring the situation as factories enter a key production period for spring and summer orders.
H&M told Reuters some factories had temporarily closed, although it had not experienced major supply-chain disruptions.(
Follow up
Sources
Name of reporting organisation: IndustriAll
Pleas find here: https://www.industriall-union.org/bangladesh-union-leaders-arrested-as-garment-wage-board-meets
Source of information about the case:
Contributor: INKOTA-netzwerk
- Last updated on .