By Fatma Younis
A 21-year-old garment factory worker died on Tuesday after being severely beaten while recording video of vandalism during wage protests in Gazipur, Bangladesh, police said.
Worker attacked while filming
Toufiq Sheikh, who had worked in the garment sector for five years, was assaulted in Gazipur city, about 25 km north of Dhaka, as workers demonstrated outside a factory. According to Gazipur metropolitan police additional commissioner Mohammad Belayet Hossain, no police were present at the scene when a group allegedly tried to vandalize the premises and Sheikh attempted to film the incident on his phone. He was rescued by colleagues and taken to Shin-Shin Japan Hospital in Dhaka, where he succumbed to his injuries.
Protests demand higher minimum wage
The unrest entered its fifth day on Wednesday, with workers from at least 670 factories walking out since Monday to demand a minimum monthly wage of 30,000 taka ($245), more than double the current 12,500 taka ($101). The government has deployed paramilitary forces in industrial suburbs and formed a six-member wage board to review the pay structure, with formal discussions expected to begin Wednesday.
Clashes spread across industrial zones
Police fired tear gas and sound grenades to disperse demonstrators in Narayanganj, Savar, Gazipur, and the capital's Mirpur area. Protesters blocked roads and highways, and several factories were reportedly vandalized. Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed said some "miscreants" were inciting violence to complicate the situation.
Vital export sector, low wages
Bangladesh's garment industry, the world's second-largest apparel exporter after China, is worth about $40 billion and accounts for over 80 percent of the country's export earnings. The sector employs roughly four million workers, mostly women, supplying global brands such as H&M, Zara, and Gap. Despite its economic importance, wages remain among the lowest globally compared to Vietnam, China, and Cambodia. The last pay increase came in 2023, when wages rose over 56 percent following nationwide protests under then-Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
