Garment factories across Bangladesh’s Gazipur and Savar industrial belts resumed production on Sunday after owners and workers accepted a government wage board’s recommendations, easing nearly nine days of unrest in the world’s second-largest apparel exporter.
Workers entered factories across Konabari, Tongi, Salna and other Gazipur districts, and police described the situation as largely calm, The Business Standard reported. Protests that began on October 31 had blocked the Dhaka-Tangail and Dhaka-Mymensingh highways, and clashes with law enforcement left several workers and police personnel injured, the outlet said.
Workers had demanded that the monthly minimum wage rise to 30,000 taka from the current 12,500 taka, The Daily Star reported. The government formed a six-member wage board a day after the protests began. Under the agreed arrangement, the revised wage structure takes effect in December, with adjusted salaries paid from January 2027. Neither outlet reported the new minimum wage figure.
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The unrest turned violent in parts of Gazipur, where a police box, police vehicles and a factory warehouse were set on fire. Garment worker Toufiq Hossain died after he was allegedly assaulted in the Banglabazar area for filming protests on his mobile phone, according to The Business Standard.
Calm was uneven. On Thursday, more than 100 of 1,863 factories in Savar and Ashulia declared holidays as a precaution, The Daily Star said. On Sunday, an industrial police official said workers from eight to 10 factories in Jamgora walked out after 11am and tried to occupy roads before police dispersed them, though most factories ran at full capacity.
Security stayed tight for a ninth consecutive day. In Gazipur, 25 platoons of specialised forces, including Border Guard Bangladesh, Ansar and SRB units, were deployed under 25 executive magistrates. Industrial police officials expect conditions to normalise fully within a day or two.