Present Wages of Bangladeshi Garment Workers is It Perfect?

Present Wages of Bangladeshi Garment Workers is It Perfect?

Mayedul Islam
Assistant Chemist at Sajid Washing & Dyeing Ltd. (Ha-Meem Group)
Email: mayedul.islam66@gmail.com

The Ready Made Garments (RMG) sector of Bangladesh has known as the biggest earner of foreign currency. The sector contributes importantly to the GDP. The main key factor which is inspired Bangladesh to become a most favorite sourcing destination to international buyers is the “garments worker”.

But It’s a burning question for all that Present Wages of Bangladeshi Garment Workers is It Perfect? Have they got sufficient privileges from their factory owners?

For the first time, minimum wage board constituted in 1994, fixed Tk 940 as minimum wage for garment workers. The second one, formed in 2006, set the minimum wage at Tk 1662.50. After that it’s were continuing for the lots of time. Though garments manufacturers earned profit day by day but the workers were all time deprived from them. At the time they had no one who will come in front and discuss about their actual salary. And finally they have roared up about their actual rights. As a result the government taken the necessary steps to solve their problem and discussed with the manufacturers & workers representative and finally the wage board had recommended raising the minimum monthly pay for garment workers to Tk 3,000 from Tk 1662.50.

Bangladeshi Garment Workers

Previously the monthly wage for garment workers was around half those in rival Asian exporters Vietnam and Cambodia and just over a quarter of the rate in top exporter China, according to International Labor Organization data from August 2013.

The proposed raise is 80% on the present wage of an entry-level worker. Of the amount, Tk 2,000 will be the basic pay while Tk 800 or 40% of the basic will be paid in house rent and Tk 200 in health allowance. The non-grade workers have been brought under the grading system keeping the seven wage grades unchanged,

Other conditions include a four-month time frame for implementation of the proposed wage structure, zero tax at source, reduction of vessels' turnaround time at the Chittagong port and suspension of minimum charge for the use of power and gas.

Though garment workers were asking for $104.72 a month, which would more than double the current minimum. To get to that number, they created a monthly budget that, they figure, was the bare minimum.

List of expected wages

One of the owner of garment factory, had argued that if the union gets the increase they're asking for, the price of a Bangladeshi-made T-shirt could increase by 20 cents. That would make it so tough for Bangladesh to compete with other countries among buyers who are looking for the lowest possible price. Vietnam, a competitor to Bangladesh's garment industry, has a minimum wage that ranges from $80 to $112 a month, depending on what part of the country the factory is situated.

Meanwhile the workers representative said after their fixed monthly wage announcement “Almost all proposals recommended an average increase of 70%. But we decided to raise the wage by 80%. I think it is not enough for a worker to maintain a family. But we have to consider the business situation”.

10:46 AM