A group of human rights organisations in Bangladesh has renewed its call for brands to support better wages for the country’s garment workers ahead of a meeting of the Minimum Wage Board on Wednesday (29 August).
The Board will reconvene tomorrow to set the new statutory minimum wage for garment workers. The IndustriAll Bangladesh Council (IBC) has been seeking a rise in the monthly minimum wages of RMG workers from the current BDT5,300 (US$62) to BDT16,000 (US$188).
Go deeper with GlobalData
In January 2018, the Government of Bangladesh set up a minimum wage board consisting of representatives from employers, national trade union federations, and government officials. In July, employers’ representatives proposed to increase the monthly minimum wages to BDT6,360 (US$75), while a trade union representative tabled an increase up to BDT12,020 (US$142).
Ahead of tomorrow’s meeting Clean Clothes Campaign, the International Labor Rights Forum and Maquila Solidarity Network are jointly urging major brands sourcing from Bangladesh to publicly support workers’ demands. These include the minimum wage of BDT16,000, a statutory framework to govern pay grades and promotion and other welfare measures.
Inditex – the owner of the Zara, Bershka, and Pull & Bear labels – was the first to publicly respond in a positive manner. In a statement on its website, the fashion retail giant said: “We believe in the right of workers to a living wage, in Bangladesh and in all the markets from which we source. Therefore we expect the collective demands of workers, expressed through their legitimate unions including IndustriAll Bangladesh Council, to be taken into account, and the current negotiations used to reach agreement for a fair increase in the minimum wage that preserves the right of workers to a living wage.”
Ineke Zeldenrust of the Clean Clothes Campaign welcomed the statement, and based on responses received in the last few days, says other leading brands are expected to issue their own public statements in support of workers’ demands, or publicly support the statement made by Inditex.
How well do you really know your competitors?
Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.
Thank you!
Your download email will arrive shortly
Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample
We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form
By GlobalDataA number of brands have already referred to the Bangladesh Accord on Fire and Building Safety and its successor, the Transitional Accord, as proof of their commitment to maintain their level of sourcing from Bangladesh. Others referred to their membership in multi-stakeholder initiatives, including Fair Wear Foundation, the Dutch Agreement on Sustainable Garments and Textile, and the German Partnership for Sustainable Textiles.
Brands including Abercrombie & Fitch, Hugo Boss, Esprit, Li & Fung, and Marks & Spencer received a letter from Clean Clothes Campaign, the International Labor Rights Forum and Maquila Solidarity Network in April this year requesting they support garment workers’ demands over the minimum wage.
“With major buyers like Inditex ready to support a living wage and urging that the collective demands of workers, expressed through their legitimate unions including IndustriAll Bangladesh Council, be taken into account in the current negotiations, the government and employers now have to come with a much better offer or risk alienating their main sourcing partners,” says Bob Jeffcott of Maquila Solidarity Network.
Clean Clothes Campaign, the International Labor Rights Forum and Maquila Solidarity Network are calling upon Bangladeshi employers and public authorities to make sure the demands “quickly materialise in the legal framework and on workers’ pay slips”.
“Ultimately, garment brands will benefit from this as well,” they add. “They can expect better quality of the products they source from Bangladesh if workers are not hungry, in poor health and constantly worried about meeting their families’ basic needs, as is currently the case.”
