Dhaka, Bangladesh – Laili Begum, a 37-year-old garment worker, can no longer afford to keep her two children in school. Some days, she struggles to provide even one proper meal for her family.
Working at Virtual Bottoms Limited, a garment factory near Dhaka, Begum earns about 15,000 taka (£121) a month, which can increase to 18,000–20,000 taka (£145–£162) with overtime. Earlier this year, her 15-year-old daughter and 12-year-old son dropped out of school due to the family’s financial strain.
“We can barely afford one proper meal a day. This morning, we only had puffed rice and snacks. We’ve been going hungry, hoping for a proper meal tonight,” she told Al Jazeera. “My son is so thin you can count every rib in his chest. What else can I do?”
Begum is one of around four million garment workers in Bangladesh, half of whom are women. They are currently protesting for better wages. As the world’s second-largest apparel exporter after China, Bangladesh supplies major global brands like H&M, Zara, and Primark, with the garment sector contributing over 80% of its export earnings, which reached $39 billion last financial year. However, workers claim their pay does not meet basic living costs.
Amid rising inflation, garment workers are demanding a minimum wage of 30,000 taka (£241), more than double the current wage of 12,500 taka (£102). Thousands protested in Dhaka on Saturday, with police using tear gas to disperse crowds and arresting dozens.
The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association reported that the protests disrupted operations at 529 factories, affecting nearly a million workers. In response, the government announced a wage board to review the workers’ demands.
Despite this, protests continued for a third day, with workers blocking highways and clashing with police in the Gazipur area. “The government only makes promises,” Begum said, expressing frustration about the lack of clarity regarding wage increases.
Rasel Khan, a 30-year-old worker, shared that his income is no longer sufficient to support his family. He has incurred debts of approximately 100,000 taka (£805) to meet basic needs. Last revised in December 2023, the minimum wage has not kept pace with inflation, which hit 8.34% in September, affecting food prices more severely.
Living in a shared room with her mother and children, Begum pays 3,500 taka (£28) in rent and resorts to burning discarded materials for cooking, as she cannot afford gas. Economic experts have noted that rising inflation has severely diminished the purchasing power of low-paid workers.
The government’s formation of a wage board follows a recent change in labour laws, reducing the wage review cycle from five to three years, with the current period ending in December. Prime Minister Tarique Rahman held an emergency meeting on Sunday to address the issue.
Babul Akhter, a workers’ representative on the wage board, has called for the new wages to be implemented with January 2027 salaries and has urged demonstrators to return to work while seeking the release of arrested colleagues.
As for the garment industry, it faces increasing pressure to balance workers’ wage demands with rising production costs and global competition. Officials have emphasised that fair wages must align with international market capabilities.
Critics, including Taqbir Huda from Oxford University, argue that Western brands must take responsibility for workers’ rights and wages. “The western brands that dominate value creation must act,” he said. For Begum, a lengthy negotiation process means continued hardship for her family. “Wages must rise, but food prices must also come down,” she added.
