Over recent weeks the garment industry in Bangladesh has witness massive demonstrations by garment workers, who are demanding that the minimum wage is increased from the TK 1,662 fixed in 2006 to a TK 5,000 that the unions belief can help workers to improve their living conditions.
At a press conference held in the country's capital, Dhaka on the 4th July Amirul Hoque Amin, president of the federation, that even this increase would in fact still represent a low wage for workers considering the rise in the prices of essentials and house rents over the past four years. The Asia Floor Wage proposal for Bangladesh stands at 10,754 taka. Bangladesh's garment workers get the lowest wages among the garment producing nations. At the entry point, a worker gets $90 in Vietnam and $135 in India.
Over recent weeks numerous factories have been closed following protests by thousands of workers, that were, in some instances, violently attacked by the authorities. Garment units in various areas of the capital, Dhaka, have been damaged during the protests. The government of Bangladesh is now proposing to set up an industrial police force to attempt to control the outbreak of such protests, which have been ever more frequent over recent years. The NGWF oppose any such proposals and are urging the governments to refrain from passing and implementing such a law. Shafiya Pervin, general secretary of the NGWF stated that
"Industrial police will not be able to solve unrest on the factory premises, rather, good wages will help stop violence."
Amin said barriers in forming trade unions at the factories should be removed and such union practices might play a positive role to mitigate the workers' grievances.
The NGWF is one of the leading independent garment workers trade union in Bangladesh and a long time partner of Labou Behind the Label.
