Dhaka. Thousands of garment factory workers took to the streets in Bangladesh on Sunday demanding better wages. Violence broke out during the demonstrations in Dhaka and Gazipur. The protesters set police vehicles on fire and attacked policemen. After the situation worsened, the police in Dhaka have detained 19 people. The workers demand that their minimum monthly wage should be increased to 30 thousand Bangladeshi Taka (about 23 thousand rupees). Around 80 garment factories were closed in both the cities due to violence and tension.
Protestors blocked the Dhaka-Tangile highway in Ghazipur. Five platoons of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) were deployed to control the situation. There are about four thousand registered factories in the garment industry of Bangladesh, in which more than 40 lakh people work.
Police vehicle set on fire, 19 detained
A police vehicle was set on fire after clashes between police and protesters in Dhaka's Mirpur area. Policemen were also attacked. After the advice of the police and local people, the workers removed the jam from the road at around 2 pm.
Mirpur Division Deputy Commissioner Hasan Mohammad Nasher Riqabdar said that 19 people have been detained so far. Several cases will be registered in cases of burning of police vehicles and attacks on policemen.
At the same time, a factory warehouse and a pickup van filled with textile waste were also set on fire in Ghazipur. Factories were open normally in the morning, but the situation started worsening before noon. Workers stopped work and demonstrated outside factories at many places, raising slogans. As tensions escalated, 80 factories were closed in Dhaka and Ghazipur.
Factory management accused of not talking
Khairul Mamun, legal affairs secretary of Bangladesh Garments and Sweaters Workers Trade Union Centre, said that the workers complained that no representative from the factory management came forward to discuss their demands. This increased resentment and demonstrations became violent at many places. In view of the tense situation, many factories declared holiday.
Meanwhile, Labor and Employment Minister Ariful Haq Chaudhary has appealed to the workers to return to work. He said that the government has constituted a new wage board to determine the minimum wage.
According to the minister, the government is taking the demands of the workers seriously. Representatives suggested by the workers have also been given place in the wage board. He expressed hope that now the workers will stop protesting on the streets and start working in factories.
Garment industry is important for the economy of Bangladesh
Bangladesh is the second largest textile exporter in the world. In this matter it is second after China. Garment industry plays an important role in the country's economy. Bangladesh's garment exports stood at $38.70 billion in the financial year 2025-26. The clothes manufactured here are sent to more than 150 countries.
In such a situation, workers' agitation and closure of factories can become a challenge for the textile industry of Bangladesh. Amidst the demand to increase wages and the formation of a new wage board by the government, now everyone's eyes are on the talks between labor organizations and factory management.