Press Releases
WDDW: Demands for a Living Wage Can Not Be Ignored
The strikes and protests that have erupted across Asia in protest at intolerably low wages in the garment sector should serve as a wake-up call to governments and the industry, says the Global Union representing workers in the sector on the occasion of the World Day for Decent Work.
Says Patrick Itschert, General Secretary of the International Textile, Garment and Leather Workers’ Federation: “The suppression of worker rights in many garment-producing countries has generated tremendous exploitation and has produced a legal minimum wage that is only a fraction of what workers need to survive.
“In Bangladesh, the previous minimum wage was so low that even an 80 percent increase in the minimum wage in July – well below the 300% demanded by unions in order to come even remotely close to a living wage - was not enough to stave off rioting by workers. The angry protests demonstrated yet again that starvation wages and the absence of worker representation make for an explosive combination.
“In Cambodia, where the minimum wage was recently increased from 50 to 61 USD, tens of thousands of garment workers went on strike last month in support of union demands for a living wage of 93$ USD – a figure reached following research among workers and consultation within the trade union movement.
“Similarly in China and Vietnam, worker anger at poverty wages boiled over earlier this year in a wave of strikes which resulted in pay rises.
“Textile workers in Pakistan showed how workers united can prevail against tremendous odds when they went on strike last month in support of better wages and conditions. In spite of the brutal murder of their leader and attacks by the police and thugs hired by the factory owners, the workers maintained their peaceful protest and refused to back down until their demands for a 17% wage increase and social security coverage had been met”.
On the occasion of the World Day for Decent Work, the ITGLWF has called on its member unions to intensify their activities in support of a living wage as part of the ‘Bargaining for a Living Wage’ campaign.
The campaign is aimed at ensuring that workers worldwide have the right to organise and bargain collectively in order to secure a living wage, and that the prices paid by brands and retailers permit the payment of a living wage to the workers who produce their goods.
In the lead-up to October 7, some 60 union leaders from 18 countries in Asia and the Pacific came together in a living wage workshop organised by the ITGLWF’s regional organisation TWARO. The workshop enabled participants to compare figures, exchange information and plan future activities. The participants expressed support for the campaign and highlighted the importance of coordination and unity among unions as a vital factor for success in pursuing a living wage.
