"Bangladesh drops charges against 48,000 garment workers", 23 October 2025

Workers’ rights campaigners have welcomed a decision by Bangladesh’s interim government to drop outstanding criminal cases against more than 48,000 garment workers who were arrested during pay protests two years ago.

They claim the cases were filed in an attempt to block protests over the minimum wage which left four dead, dozens injured, scores of factories damaged and hundreds more to temporarily close their gates.

The minimum wage was eventually increased...from BDT 8,000 ($75) a month to BDT 12,500 ($114) per month – well short of the BDT 23,000 ($215) which unions claimed was needed to enable workers to make ends meet...

...trade union leader Kalpona Akter said: “This is a massive victory for workers in Bangladesh, for trade unions anywhere in the world and for international solidarity.”

More than 130 people were arrested during the protests but mass criminal charges were later filed after factory owners lodged complaints against their own workers, without having to provide evidence.

The Clean Clothes Campaign (CCC), Worker Rights Consortium and Solidarity Center say they identified over 40 brands linked to suppliers filing bogus mass criminal cases, with baseless charges ranging from vandalism to murder.

“Worker intimidation has a chilling effect on any form of organising in the sector,” said a CCC statement. “Despite warnings of history repeating itself by trade unions and NGOs, international brands did absolutely nothing to support workers’ demands and protect workers against this severe repression.”...