Unions and labour rights NGOs in Bangladesh have joined together in demanding that the basic monthly minimum wage for the country's 2 million garment workers be raised to Bangladeshi Taka (Tk.) 3000 (Can$50 a month).
Currently the basic minimum wage, which has not been increased since 1994, is Tk.600 (Can$10) a month. Bangladeshi garment workers' wages are among the lowest in the world.
Garment workers have been participating in rallies and demonstrations across Bangladesh since the beginning of September to protest the failure of the Bangladesh Wage Board to come up with an acceptable minimum wage for the garment industry.
They are asking for your support to help them win a minimum wage that allows them to live in dignity. You can help by signing their online petition for an acceptable minimum wage and by writing to the Bangladesh garment factory associations, urging them to agree to an increase in the minimum wage that will genuinely improve the lives of these workers.
REQUESTED ACTION:
[NOTE: We are no longer requesting letters]
BACKGROUND - Minimum wage currently just Cdn$10 per month
The current basis minimum wage for garment workers, fixed around twelve years ago, stands at 600 Bangladeshi Taka (Tk) per month (Can$10), plus a rent subsidy and health allowance that bring the gross minimum wage to Tk.930 (Can$16) - one of the lowest minimum wages in the world.
While garment workers and their supporters have been demanding wage increases for several years it wasn't until May 2006, following the outbreak of massive labour unrest by workers unable to tolerate the extreme exploitative conditions any longer, that any kind of action was taken by the Bangladesh government.
One of the main demands of the protesting workers was for immediate action on the issue of wages. In response to the worker protests, the Bangladesh government announced the formation of a tripartite Minimum Wage Board for the garment industry on May 31, 2006.
The Wage Board, which includes representatives of the garment workers' unions and the Bangladeshi garment industry associations, first met on June 12, 2006 and was asked to recommend a new pay scale for garment workers within 90 days. On September 14, the Board released a draft proposal to the government, recommending that the basic minimum wage be raised in three annual stages to reach Tk.1,475 in the third year (plus 30% for house rent and Tk.200 medical allowance = Tk.2,117 gross minimum wage).
Neither the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers' Association (BGMEA) nor workers' representative on the Wage Board signed the proposal sent to the government on July 12. The workers' representative felt this rate was too low, but the BGMEA felt it is too high. The Wage Board proposal must be kept in circulation until September 28th for opinions and objections, and the government will take another month for its approval.
Workers are continuing to stage protests, demanding Tk.3000 (Can$50) as the basic minimum wage for entry-level workers.