Fact Check: Information Regarding Minimum Wage Increase for Garment Workers is Incorrect

Claim

Recently, several news clips have gone viral on social media claiming that the minimum wage and salary for garment workers have increased to 17,568 BDT. It is being claimed that the lowest wage for apparel workers has now been raised to this amount. These videos gained significant traction both before and after the elections. View the videos here, here and here. 

Fact

To verify the authenticity of the viral videos claiming that the “Garment workers’ minimum wage increased to 17,568 BDT,” we initially conducted a keyword search. Our investigation reveals that the viral claim is not true.

Through relevant keyword searches, we found several related reports. These reports clarify that the minimum monthly wage for Ready-Made Garment (RMG) workers in Bangladesh is not 17,568 BDT. Instead, this was a proposed advisory amount suggested by the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) in 2023, not an official government decision. It has been confirmed that a nearly three-year-old viral video is being incorrectly recirculated. View the original reports here: Jagonews24.com, RTV and Ekhon Tv. 

The government-mandated minimum wage remains 12,500 BDT per month for entry-level Grade-5 workers (as per the gazette published in December 2023 following the Minimum Wage Board’s review and subsequent protests). While recent adjustments for 2024-2025 have added an annual increase of approximately 9% (4% + 5%), the core wage structure remains unchanged. Against the backdrop of inflation, trade unions are currently demanding more than 25,000 BDT. See reports here: TBS,  Dhaka Tribune and GPA.

In short, the viral claims asserting that the minimum wage for garment workers has been increased to 17,568 BDT are false.

Result: Missing Context

Our Sources:
Jagonews24.com, RTV, and Ekhon TV.
TBS, Dhaka Tribune, and GPA.