Updated

Dozens of garment factories in Bangladesh's main clothes-producing area have been shut by striking workers demanding a minimum wage of 30,000 taka (£182) a month, BBC World reported on November 15, 2026. The strike has closed nearly 150 sites in the textile hubs of Savar, Ashulia and Gazipur over the weekend, against a current minimum monthly wage of 12,500 taka that workers say cannot cover the cost of living crisis. On Sunday morning workers blocked the Dhaka-Tangail highway in Gazipur for about an hour until police intervened. Police Supt Mohammad Amjad Hossain told the BBC that 13 factories were closed on Saturday night and sixteen during the morning unrest. The BBC noted that a "No Work No Pay" provision lets owners suspend operations and withhold wages when production is disrupted. The garment industry employs about four million workers and supplies brands including H&M, Primark and Zara. The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association's president, Mahmud Hasan Khan, said factories unable to produce would remain closed indefinitely from the next day, and questioned continuing wage board talks without protection for factories. A minimum wage board formed on 1 November is due to finalise recommendations by the end of November, with any new pay expected from 1 December. The BBC reported concern that the unrest could affect international buyers if it lasts.