The minimum monthly wages of the country’s readymade garment (RMG) workers is still the lowest which should be increased further, said a top official of H&M on Saturday. The Swedish retailer H&M, one of the country’s largest buyers of locally made apparels, also reiterated its commitment to increase the prices in line with wage hike. “The minimum wages here in Bangladesh is really low, it should be increased,” said H&M Bangladesh Country Manager Ziaur Rahman while addressing a virtual dialogue. Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) organised the dialogue titled “Recovery of the Apparels Sectors from the COVID-19 Crisis: Is a Value Chain based Solution Possible?” “Bangladesh government raised the minimum wages last two times. H&M being the ethical buyer increased the prices in times of placing orders and will do that, Mr Zia claimed adding that his company is 100 per cent committed in this regard. Considering the overall situation, Bangladesh is still a preferred sourcing destination as it has trade benefit and wages are low here compared to other countries, he said adding consumers behaviour has changed from fashion to basic items. “Instead of reducing sourcing from China and Turkey, we find it more logical to place the orders here because Bangladesh has capability and prices are in favour of us,” he noted. He also claimed that their sourcing here from the country has been increasing even in the pandemic last year. Regarding average price decline of local RMG items, he said the prices for jackets and t-shirts are not the same. There is no insurance or social safety programme for RMG workers, Zia expressed his company’s readiness to participate such programmes.
