Govt must ensure minimum wages for workers

It is still not clear whether the minimum wage board will be able to successfully determine fair wages for workers of the export-oriented readymade garment industry. The management authorities are proposing an increase in wages from the existing Tk 5300 to only Tk 6300. The workers are a formidable workforce with unrelenting productivity, but lack the clout of negotiating this wages. Over the past five years, Bangladesh’s share in the global readymade garment market has gone up to six per cent. The workers must also be given credit for this. The management has never been able to claim that the minimum age of Tk 5300 has affected production in any manner.

It is unfortunate that the readymade garment industry in Bangladesh has to face pressure to ensure safety of the workers. Accord or Alliance, formed after the Rana Plaza tragedy, have been in Bangladesh for long, but have not raised their voice for increased wages for the workers. While the Clean Clothes Campaign or IndustriAll have been vocal about increased wages, they have failed to have a direct impact in Bangladesh. So it is only the government who can actually put pressure on the owners to increase wages.

Various workers organisations reached a consensus for a Tk 16,000 minimum wages, but there is no space for them to press forward their demand. No one wants unrest in the garment industry as a result of increasing minimum wages. For long stability has prevailed in the industry. The minimum wages should be fixed so that the owners do not come under excessive pressure and that the workers earn enough for a decent living. Political intervention is required to being a balance here.

The worker representatives have suddenly lowered the minimum wage demand to Tk 12,000. Without minimum wages, the workers simply face extreme hardship in their daily living.

It is obvious that unless the government intervenes, the workers will not be able to negotiate strongly with the management. The workers’ representatives have said that they have to listen not to just the workers, but also to the political party to which they are affiliated. So it is up to the government to decide how the workers can survive. The government policymakers can take into consideration that if the workers can be satisfied this time, they can expect this to be manifest in the results of the next two general elections.