An organization representing Bangladeshi garment workers is urging the Bangladeshi government not to suspend the 5% minimum wage increase plan due to the new coronavirus epidemic.
GasdfssdfsrmentsSrasdfssdfsmikFederasdfssdfstion (SGSF), an affiliate of IndustriAll global union representing more than 100,000 workers, when they learned that Bangladeshi knitted garment manufacturers representing factory owners and the Exporters Association (BGMEA) attempted to halt workers’ salary increases for two years and made demands to the government.
In a letter to the Ministry of Labor and Employment (Ministry of Labor and Employment) of Bangladesh (Ministry of Labor and Employment), the SGSF claimed that during the COVID-19 epidemic, salary cuts, layoffs, layoffs, forced resignations and Discriminatory dismissals are spreading in Bangladesh’s garment industry.
SGSF stated: In this case, we ask the government to take necessary steps. As workers are the main source of economic power in Bangladesh, no one can deprive them of their rights. It also requires the government to ensure that the annual wage increase rate for garment workers should be maintained at 5%.
Since the beginning of 2019, the minimum wage for garment workers has been Taka 8,000 (equivalent to US$95) per month, and workers are entitled to a 5% annual increase in their basic salary.
Bangladesh is one of the few countries that sets minimum wages entirely based on industry. The highest tax rate applies to the garment industry, and the minimum wage is revised every 5 years. . The last revision was in December 2018.
According to research released by the International Labor Organization (ILO) in December 2020, during the period 2010-2019, Bangladesh’s minimum real wage was the highest among all countries in the Asia-Pacific region. The largest decline occurred at 5.9%. As the world’s second largest garment exporter after China, the country has also been one of the countries hardest hit by the COVID-19 epidemic. According to export earnings data from the Bangladesh Bank, in the three months from March to May 2020, Western brands and retailers canceled or postponed orders and payments, resulting in a total loss of US$4.6 billion.
In December 2020, the European Union and Germany stated that they would provide 113 million euros (equivalent to 136.6 million U.S. dollars) to help the Bangladesh government support the country’s garment and leather export industries. Vulnerable workers. </p
