02 May 2018 A Struggle for Wages Enough to Survive NGWF demonstration in Dhaka, Bangladesh in March 2018. Photo: © NGWFWorkers and trade unions in Bangladesh have been calling for years for an increase in the minimum wage in the clothing sector. Compared to the current minimum wage of 5,300 Taka, about 52 euros, the unions demand a tripling to 16,000 Taka, about 157 euros. By Western standards, this sounds like a drastic increase. In fact, however, the minimum wage has not been raised for five years, while the high inflation rate causes the cost of living in the country to rise steadily. Thus, families who have to feed on the already extremely low wages in the clothing industry are left with less to live on each year. Mim Akter, trade unionist and seamstress from Dhaka, summed it up during her visit to Germany in November 2017: “At the end of the month we go hungry or we take out a loan.” "Since wages have actually fallen by 8% due to inflation in recent years, this demand from trade unions is rather moderate," said Gisela Burckhardt, CEO of FEMNET. When thousands of workers went on strike for a higher minimum wage in December 2016 in the Ashulia textile region of Bangladesh, factory owners and the government relentlessly beat back to intimidate workers and trade unions. 1,500 workers and trade unionists were fired, 600 workers and trade unionists were charged, dozens were imprisoned and only released after massive international pressure. Bangladeshi activist Kalpona Akter, managing director of the FEMNET partner organization Bangladesh Center for Workers Solidarity (BCWS), emphasizes: “The solidarity of consumers, international trade unions, non-governmental organisations and also brand companies who have their clothes produced in Bangladesh is an immensely important factor in achieving positive changes for workers!” In March 2018, thousands of women workers took to the streets to fight for an increase in the minimum wage. FEMNET's National Garment Workers Federation (NGWF), Bangladesh's largest national trade union for garment workers, was at the forefront. The strikes continue and will not stop until the government sets a minimum wage that allows workers to survive. The past shows how important it is to show solidarity and build international pressure for the country's government to move: While the unions had called for an agreement on building security since 2011, it was only the tragedy of Rana Plaza in 2013 that caused a rethink. The government and manufacturers responded to the massive international pressure and launched an agreement on fire safety and building safety in Bangladesh, the Accord Agreement. If you would like to support FEMNET's partner organisations in Bangladesh, donate to the Solidarity Fund:
