Press Releases
Bangladesh Unions Demand Measures to Supplement the Newly-Increased Minimum Wage
ITGLWF affiliates in Bangladesh have responded to last week’s increase in the minimum wage with a series of demands to enable workers to make ends meet.
The Bangladesh National Council of Textile Garments and Leather (BNC) has called for the introduction of provisions on food, housing, healthcare and childcare to supplement the minimum wage.
The government announcement last week that the minimum wage would be increased in November from 1,662 takas a month to 3,000 takas based on the recommendation of the minimum wage board. The decision has sparked protests in Bangladesh, where unions were demanding a new minimum wage of 5,000 taka a month.
Noting that 3,000 taka a month is not sufficient to meet the basic needs of workers, the Bangladesh National Council of Textile Garments and Leather (BNC) has called for additional measures to supplement the minimum wage, including the provision of rations of staple foods such as rice and dhal, as well as the provision of housing, childcare and healthcare facilities for garment workers. The BNC has also asked the government to legislate the new wage with immediate effect rather than waiting until November.
The BNC has further called on the government to ensure that trade union rights are upheld in line with ILO Conventions.
The unions have urged workers to refrain from violence but rather to organise into trade unions in order to ensure the new wage is implemented and to negotiate improvements. Buyers have been urged to encourage trade union involvement in their supply chains and to factor the increased wage into their price negotiation
