Labour leaders demand Tk 30,000 minimum wage for garment workers

Labour leaders have demanded that the minimum wage for garment workers be raised to Tk 30,000 and that the National Wage Board be reconstituted immediately.

The demands were made at a roundtable titled “Immediate Reconstitution of the National Wage Board and Determination of Minimum Wage in Line with the Cost of Living”, organised by the Bangladesh Labour Welfare Federation at the National Press Club on Thursday.

Advocate Ataur Rahman, president of the Bangladesh Labour Welfare Federation, chaired the meeting, while Syed Sultan Uddin Ahmed, chairman of the Labour Reform Commission and executive director of the Bangladesh Institute of Labour Studies (BILS), attended as the chief guest. Labour leaders from different sectors also spoke at the event.

The labour leaders said fair wages are not an act of charity or favour but a fundamental right of workers and a basic requirement for a dignified life. They stressed the need to establish a scientific and realistic wage structure in line with current market prices and the rising cost of living.

They also called for an independent Wage Board free from political and employer influence.
Ferdousi Begum, central president of the Bangladesh United Garments Workers Federation, said many skilled workers are leaving the country due to rising commodity prices and the increasing cost of living.

“To prevent this trend, the Wage Board must be formed quickly and workers must be ensured fair wages,” she said, demanding that the minimum wage for garment workers be fixed at Tk 30,000.

The labour leaders said merely increasing wages would not be enough. They called for ensuring affordable housing, house-rent support, rationing facilities, healthcare, education and a safe working environment for workers.

They also demanded effective implementation of workers’ rights to form trade unions and engage in collective bargaining.

Mahtab Uddin Shahid, president of the Jatiya Sramik Jote, said the Wage Board is supposed to be reconstituted every three years under the law, but the process has been delayed.

He demanded that a new Wage Board be formed by December and that the minimum wage be determined accordingly.

Labour leader Shahida also demanded a minimum wage of Tk 30,000 for garment workers, saying it has become increasingly difficult for workers to maintain their families on their current wages.

She called for an immediate revision of wages in line with rising prices of essential commodities and house rents.

Nazma Akter, president of the Sammilito Garments Workers Federation, warned that workers would launch a larger movement on the streets if their legitimate demands were ignored.

She demanded the immediate reconstitution of the National Minimum Wage Board, along with separate wage boards for different sectors, including the garment industry.