Dhaka, Bangladesh – Laili Begum can no longer afford to keep her two children in school. There are days when the 37-year-old textile worker struggles to put even an adequate meal on the table. Begum, an experienced sewing operator at Virtual Bottoms Limited, a ready-made garment factory near Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, earns around 15,000 taka ($121) a month, which sometimes rises to 18,000-20,000 taka ($145-161) when she works overtime. list of 4 itemsend listHis 15-year-old daughter and 12-year-old son dropped out of school earlier this year because he couldn’t pay for their education. “We can barely afford one proper meal a day. This morning, we only ate puffed rice and Bombay mix [a snack]. There was nothing for lunch. We’ve been starving, hoping to have a proper meal tonight. Yesterday it was the same. This is how we survive now,” he told Al Jazeera. “My son is so thin you can count every rib on his chest. What else can I do?”Begum is among about four million garment factory workers in Bangladesh, half of them women. They are now protesting for better wages. Bangladesh, the world’s second-largest garment exporter after China, is a key supplier to global fashion brands such as H&M, Zara, Levi Strauss, Walmart and Primark. The country’s ready-made garment sector accounts for more than 80 percent of its export earnings, which reached $39 billion. dollars last financial year. However, the people who sew those clothes say their salary no longer covers basic living costs $378. paralyzes to disperse protesters and arrest dozens of them. A police vehicle burns after garment workers set it on fire during a protest demanding higher wages in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on November 1, 2026. [Jannatul Ferdaus/Reuters]The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association said the protests disrupted operations at 529 factories on Sunday, affecting nearly a million workers. Later that day, the government announced the formation of a six-member wage board to review workers’ demands. But that didn’t stop garment workers from returning to the streets for the third day in a row on Monday. several vehicles, while clashes with police were reported in the neighboring Mirpur district. “The government only makes promises,” Begum told Al Jazeera. “We have not been told when salaries will increase or by how much.” Inflation is depressing wages. Rasel Khan, a 30-year-old textile worker in Ashulia, told Al Jazeera that his monthly income of 18,000 to 20,000 taka ($145 to $161), including overtime, was no longer enough to support his family, which included his mother and younger brother, as well as his wife and son. a debt of about 100,000 taka ($805) to cover their needs. “It is now impossible to support a family on this income. Prices continue to rise and we have to borrow money just to survive,” he said. The last review of the minimum wage in the garment sector took place in December 2023. Since then, prices have continued to rise. Official data put annual inflation at 8.34 percent in September, including 7.22 percent for food and 9.30 percent for non-food expenses. Begum says she pays 3,500 taka ($28) as rent for a single room she shares with her mother and children. His father, who lives in his village in central Sirajganj district, also depends on his income. He says he is burning waste paper and other cooking materials because he cannot afford a gas cylinder that costs around 2,200 taka ($18). Zahid Hussain, former chief economist at the World Bank’s Dhaka office, said persistent inflation over the past five years has dramatically eroded the purchasing power of low-wage workers. “When real income falls, they have to cut their daily living standards,” he told Al Jazeera. “They don’t have any surplus income.” Hussain said a recent increase in pay for government employees has had a “demonstration effect” among private sector workers hoping for similar relief. The government’s announcement of a pay board follows an amendment to labor laws to reduce the pay review cycle from five years to three years. The current three-year period ends in December. Prime Minister Tarique Rahman called an emergency meeting of senior government officials on Sunday, while Interior Minister Salahuddin Ahmed met garment factory owners on Monday, assuring them that a new minimum wage would be set through negotiations. Meanwhile, Labor Minister Ariful Haque Choudhury urged workers to resume work, saying the wage board would begin its deliberations shortly. But Babul Akhter, a workers’ representative on the board, called for the new salaries to come into effect with January 2027 salaries. He also called on protesters to return to work and demanded the release of the arrested workers and the withdrawal of cases against them. Garment workers clash with police during a protest in Dhaka, November 1, 2026. [Jannatul Ferdaus/Reuters]’Western brands have the lion’s share’ The looming wage negotiations come at a difficult time for Bangladesh’s garment industry, as manufacturers balance workers’ demands for better wages against rising production costs and intensifying global competition. Sheikh Hossain Muhammad Mustafiz, an official at the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association and CEO of Cute Dress Industry Ltd, told Al Jazeera that fair wages and job security must go hand in hand with their ability to compete in the international market. However, without fair purchasing prices from international brands, significant wage increases could put pressure on factories and threaten employment,” he said. Mustafiz emphasized that protecting workers’ purchasing power amid rising inflation is a responsibility that global brands sourcing garments from Bangladesh must share. “Sustainable wage growth cannot be achieved by manufacturers alone,” he said. “International brands must contribute through fair prices and responsible purchasing practices to protect both the livelihoods of workers and the long-term sustainability of the industry.” Taqbir Huda, senior researcher at Oxford University’s Tech Global Institute, accused Western brands that buy garments from Bangladesh of failing to address the issue of workers’ rights. “Workers produce,” he told Al Jazeera. Huda said the wage board, which was due to be introduced this year, was announced only after the workers began their protest. “History gives very little reason for workers to believe that anything will improve unless they protest,” he said, adding that the formation of the wage board does not meet their demands unless it addresses rising inflation and the cost of living crisis. For Begum, a protracted process to decide new salaries means another month of struggling to feed her family. “Wages must rise, but food prices must also fall.”
