Follow-Up: Bangladesh Garment Factories Reopen on November 2: Workers Demand 30,000 Taka Monthly Wage, Manufacturers Warn of 'No Work, No Pay' If Stoppages Resume
DHAKA, Bangladesh, November 2 — Garment factories across Bangladesh reopened on Monday, November 2, after strikes and protests in major industrial belts including Gazipur forced the closure of hundreds of factories for several days. Workers have been demanding that the minimum monthly wage be raised to 30,000 taka (about 243 U.S. dollars), nearly triple the current rate of 12,500 taka.
Bangladesh is the world's second-largest apparel exporter after China. The garment industry accounts for about four-fifths of the country's exports and sustains the livelihoods of some four million workers. The government has formed a six-member committee to hold talks with workers and factory owners and restore order in the factories.
Mohammad Hatem, president of the Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA), confirmed that all 529 factories in the Gazipur district had resumed operations on November 2. “All 529 factories in Gazipur are open today. No major unrest has been reported. We have agreed to discuss wage reviews with the workers,” he said. He put the number of workers affected by the stoppage at nearly one million in total, and warned that if workers launch another “illegal strike,” manufacturers would enforce a “no work, no pay” policy.
Related: Bangladesh Sets Up Wage Board as Garment Protests Shut 529 Factories, Idling Nearly 990,000 Workers
Source: GSM News
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 孟加拉国成衣厂女工在生产线上（资料图）。 Women working at a garment factory in Bangladesh (file photo). CC BY 2.0，摄影 Photo: Tareq Salahuddin，图片来源：Wikimedia Commons。
- 2026-11-01Bangladesh Sets Up Wage Board as Garment Protests Shut 529 Factories, Idling Nearly 990,000 Workers
- 2026-11-02Follow-Up: Bangladesh Garment Factories Reopen on November 2: Workers Demand 30,000 Taka Monthly Wage, Manufacturers Warn of 'No Work, No Pay' If Stoppages ResumeThis story
