Bangladesh: Increase in minimum wage in textile industry – clothing
Bangladesh's Ministry of Labour announced a 51% increase in the minimum wage for textile workers for December 2018. The monthly wage is expected to be increased to 8 000 taka (82 EUR) compared to 5 300 taka (54 EUR) currently: an insufficient increase according to the workers' unions.
The increase in the minimum wage in Bangladesh is the result of tripartite negotiations between the government, textile industry workers and employers.
The workers initially requested a minimum wage of 16,000 taka/month (€164) at a meeting of the National Minimum Wage Council in July 2018.
There has been no increase in the minimum wage since the Rana Plaza disaster in 2013, when an industrial building housing several garment factories collapsed, killing more than 1130 workers (cf. International atmosphere of May 2013).
The decent pay In Bangladesh, which covers the vital needs of a worker and his family, it is estimated at 37,661 taka/month (385 euros) according to the NGO Asia Floor Wage (cf. International atmosphere of August 2014).
Bangladeshi trade unions are now protesting against the new minimum wage « inhuman » set by the government for the four million textile workers – clothing in the country.