Key facts
- Workers demand a minimum monthly wage of 30,000 taka, a 140% rise from the current 12,500 taka.
- Sparrow Group, whose clients include Zara, Gap and Marks & Spencer, halted production on November 2, 2026, after a crowd attacked its factory.
- Sparrow head Shovon Islam said more than 5,000 workers were evacuated safely and that it was not immediately clear who was behind the attack.
- The garment industry generates more than 80% of Bangladesh's export earnings and employs four million people, according to the Straits Times.
- The last minimum wage revision, from 8,000 to 12,500 taka, took effect on December 1, 2023, and a further review is due in December 2026.
- Garment company executives said worried clients have called about shipments, the Straits Times reported.
Tens of thousands of garment workers in Bangladesh have marched through Dhaka and the industrial towns of Gazipur, Ashulia and Narayanganj since October 31, 2026, demanding that their minimum monthly wage more than double to 30,000 taka from 12,500 taka, a 140% increase. Protests turned violent in several hubs, with factories vandalised and roads blocked, and production halted at plants supplying global brands including H&M, Zara and Walmart.
Bangladesh is the world's second-largest clothing exporter after China, and the industry generates more than 80% of the country's export earnings and employs four million people, the Straits Times reported. The unrest comes as factories were about to begin manufacturing spring collections for brands such as H&M, Primark and Walmart.
Sparrow Group, whose clients include Zara, Gap and Marks & Spencer, said it halted production on November 2, 2026, after a large crowd attacked its factory. CCTV footage showed people throwing bricks and stones, smashing windows and damaging exterior walls while attempting to force open the main gates. Sparrow head Shovon Islam said more than 5,000 workers were evacuated safely and that it was not immediately clear who was behind the attack. "This is the industry's busiest season," Islam told Reuters, adding that major shipments were scheduled for November and that all his buyers were concerned.
Bangladesh's government formed a wage board on November 1, 2026, to make a pay recommendation after considering inflation, economic conditions, living costs and export performance, said Abdur Rahman Tarafder, secretary of the Ministry of Labour and Employment. The American Apparel & Footwear Association, which includes top US companies in the sector, said the board was a "critical opportunity to deliver a fair wage that allows garment workers to support themselves and their families" and called for an annual review process.
The last minimum wage revision, from 8,000 to 12,500 taka, took effect on December 1, 2023, and the wage structure is due for another review in December 2026. Workers' representatives have accused the authorities of delaying the formation of a new minimum wage board. Garment company executives said worried clients have already called about shipments after earlier disruptions from fuel and power shortages and 2024's mass anti-government protests, the Straits Times reported.