The Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) on Sunday recommended Tk 17,568 monthly minimum wages for readymade garment (RMG) workers on the backdrop of skyrocketing inflation.
An entry-level RMG worker is currently receiving Tk 8,000 per month under the 2018 wage structure, which is the lowest among Bangladesh’s major competitors.
CPD unveiled the proposal during a dialogue titled “Readjusting Minimum Wages in Garments Sector: Observations and Recommendations” at a hotel in Dhaka.
During the discussion, Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA) Executive President Mohammad Hatem said, “We need to assess the efficiency of our workers in comparison to workers in competing nations.
“Buyers are not practising ethical pricing, and the brands are bloodsuckers.”
He added, “Many factories are being forced to cease operations, and some are opting to relocate outside the country due to financial burdens owed to banks. The unethical purchasing behaviour of brands stands out as a significant contributing factor to these difficulties.”
“Is it ethical and reasonable when a buyer pays $2 to a factory in Vietnam, but only compensates us $1.5-$1.6 for producing the same item?”
RMG sector owners’ representative of the Minimum Wage Board Siddiqur Rahman said, “We earned $47 billion in FY23, and the 4 million workers are main contributors. We want to pay more than the CPD proposal. But we will propose such a figure, which is affordable to both parties.”
Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) Director Faisal Samad said, “We aim to understand the obligations of buyers and brands.
“Specifically, we seek transparency regarding the compensation provided to us for an item compared to the payments made to factories in Vietnam, China, and India for producing the same goods.”
Samad also raised a question saying if they are receiving less than the competitors, who is responsible for this?
Minimum Wage Board Chairman Liaquat Ali Mollah, RMG sector workers’ representative in the board and worker leader Shirajul Islam Rony, the sector owners’ representative of the board Siddiqur Rahman, apex body leaders of the sector were present at the programme.
