The workers, who play a pivotal role in earning foreign currency, have to lead the worst life without humanity, GM Quader said.
Jatiya Party Chairman Ghulam Muhammad (GM) Quader on Thursday expressed his solidarity with the ongoing movement by readymade garment (RMG) workers to raise the minimum wage to Tk23,000 from Tk8,000.
Claiming the movement to increase the wage as rational, he called upon the authorities to meet the demand of the workers.
GM Quader, also deputy leader from the opposition party, said this in a statement signed by the party’s Press Secretary-2 Khandaker Delowar Jalali.
The workers, who play a pivotal role in earning foreign currency, have to lead the worst life without humanity, he said.
Addressing the role of the RMG workers in the advancement of the country, the opposition leader said the workers are being subjected to discrimination in the civilised society.
At the outset of the RMG industry, the workers were paid a trivial honourium, later their minimum salary was fixed Tk5,300 against their demand for Tk16,000 following a movement in 2013, he said.
Similarly, an amount of Tk8,000 was assessed as minimum salary during the 2018-movement which was effective from Pohela Boishakh in 2019.
Expressing his solidarity with the movement, GM Quader said it is impossible to lead life with Tk8,000 in the days of price hikes.
Referring to an outcome of a research conducted by Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) that a four-member family needs Tk22,421 to survive a month, he said, adding that the movement to fix minimum wage of Tk23,000 will have to be accepted on humanitarian ground.
The Jatiya Party chairman urged all to behave generously with the RMG workers.
