Good News for Bangladeshi Garment Workers.

Salary Hike Started of Bangladesh Garment Workers.

Source: Local TV channels, News Papers

Bangladesh has some of the lowest wages in the world and the second largest apparel exporter in the world after China. But now a day, Ready-Made Garment (RMG) sector faces severe blow in global market for Savar tragedy (an eight storied building named Rana Plaza crumbling down at Savar and left over more than eleven hundred garment workers dead).

People's Republic of Bangladesh Government, Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) and Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA) 

work together to clean up the country’s image on the 

global stage after this tragedy.

Bangladesh Government has decided to form a new minimum wage board for garment workers which will effect from 1^st May 2013.

After a meeting with garment owners, labour leaders and other ministers at the secretariat on 12^th May 2013, Textiles Minister Abdul Latif Siddique announced the government’s decision. He noticed that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had made the decision and he didn’t know details about the matter.

Garment owners, the industry leaders strongly opposed the decision initially but agreed later.

They told that they are not in a position at this moment to hike the wages of workers considering business down owing cause of political unrest and global recession.

After an emergency meeting with Labour and Employment Minister Rajiuddin Ahmed Raju, they agreed to the government decision. BGMEA President Atiqul Islam said - “If the wage board recommends increasing salaries from May 1, we will do that.” BKMEA President AKM Salim Osman said that they have no objection. Nazma Akhter, president of Sammilito Garment Sramik Federation welcoming the decision and demanding immediate implement.

Sequences the hike of minimum wage as below

New one would be the 4th wage board of Bangladesh. 

As a part of clean up the country’s image, BGMEA sent a letter to Pope Francis with respect to dispute Pope’s comments on Bangladeshi garment workers as “Slave Labour”. They highlighted in their letter, that there is no slavery system in Bangladesh and country’s law also don’t allow slavery”.

The Pope blame the garment owners by the Vatican radio  quoted as “Not paying a fair wage, not giving a job because you are only looking at balance sheets, only looking to make a profit”.  

First Bangladeshi Nobel Peace Prize winner Professor Muhammad Yunus also appeals to Help Bangladesh's Garment Industry (Savar tragedy, garments industry and Bangladesh). He proposed to fix a minimum international wage jointly with foreign buyers for the industry. 

He quoted – “Bangladesh's garment industry must be reformed, not destroyed. “