"Bangladesh to review garment worker pay", 3 March 2023

A tripartite board has been set up in Bangladesh to review the minimum wage of garment workers who are reportedly struggling to make ends meet amidst spiralling inflation.

The minimum wage for garment workers in the country has been BDT8,000 (US$75) a month since 2018 and unions have been demanding a rise to BDT23,000 (US$215) a month.

Miran Ali, vice president of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), confirmed to Ecotextile News that the government had now formed a wage board which would start work in the coming days.

The BGMEA was in favour of a review, Ali added, and would have a seat on the tripartite board which would involve factory owners, trade unions and the government.

Local affiliates of the IndustriALL global union have been calling for a new entry level garment worker minimum wage of BDT23,000 (US$215), with a yearly 10% increment...

Unions are also demanding that the government removes two grades from the existing seven-grade wage structure for garment workers as unions claim the current system keeps workers under-graded...