{
  "id": 19998866,
  "title": "Bangladesh garment owners threaten to quit wage talks, shut factories indefinitely",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/14/bangladesh-garment-owners-threaten-to-quit-wage-talks-shut-factories",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-11-14T15:04:55.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Times of India",
    "slug": "times-of-india",
    "url": "https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/south-asia/bangladesh-garment-owners-threaten-to-quit-wage-talks-shut-factories-indefinitely/articleshow/135835836.cms"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": null,
  "summary": "Bangladesh garment manufacturers have threatened to withdraw from wage negotiations and shut factories indefinitely if security concerns persist during ongoing protests. The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) and Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA) cited a lack of assurances over factory security, prompting the BGMEA president Mahmud Hasan Khan to warn that factories unable to operate due to unrest would remain closed indefinitely under Bangladesh's labour law. This development comes amid weeks of protests over wages and working conditions, with demonstrations turning violent in several garment manufacturing centres, resulting in the closure of at least 147 factories on Saturday across major hubs. Wage talks face increased uncertainty, with workers proposing a significant raise in the minimum monthly wage from Tk12,500 (approx INR 9479) to Tk32,000 (approx INR 24267), more than double the current rate. Workers argue that their wages have not kept pace with the rising cost of living, with inflation at around 8%.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}