Bangladeshi garment workers protesting for higher wages
The ongoing wage talks for the Bangladesh ready-made garment sector could result in a new poverty wage of just 95 USD per month (10,400 Tk), based on an outrageous proposal presented by employers at the latest Wage Board meeting.
Trade unions and labour organizations reject this barefaced attempt to keep workers trapped in poverty. The deficient offer results from the reluctance of major fashion brands to actively support workers in their struggle for decent wages.
Living-wage-committed brands such as Asos, H&M, M&S and Uniqlo must end their silent complicity with cutthroat business owners, pay higher prices for their products and support Bangladeshi trade unions’ demand to raise the wage to at least 207 USD (23,000 Tk) per month.
“If the new minimum wage is as low as 10,400 Tk, this means that the majority of workers cannot survive on an income they earn for a 48+ hour workweek in this industry,” says Kalpona Akter, president of the Bangladesh Garment and Industrial Workers Federation. “International buyers should take responsibility now before the situation gets even worse.”.
Trade unions have staged several demonstrations in Bangladesh and have reached out to over 60 major brands sourcing from Bangladesh. Brands were urged to support the demand for 23,000Tk, commit to sourcing from Bangladesh after the minimum wage increase, and absorb the higher cost of labour in their purchasing prices.
This was underlined by the BGMEA’s recent call on the ACT brands urging them to consider the higher cost of living and inflation that workers are facing by paying a “fair price” and be more “empathetic and rational on pricing and sourcing practices”.
A few brands have acted upon the call from trade unions and published individual statements in support of their wage demands.
The silence of buyers encourages employers to continue violating the human right to a living wage that ensures workers and their families a life with dignity.
