‘There could be anarchy’: Bangladesh’s garment sector unrest threatens economic disaster

Garment workers in Bangladesh, the world’s second-largest clothing exporter after China, are demanding that their wages more than double – and their protests have brought a halt to production in factories supplying global brands including H&M, Zara and Walmart.

Tens of thousands of workers have marched through Dhaka and the key industrial towns of Gazipur, Ashulia and Narayanganj in recent days demanding higher pay.

Protests turned violent in several hubs, with factories vandalised and roads...