Labour unions, rights activists tell EU rep want Tk 23k minimum wage for RMG

Labour unions and rights activists met Eamon Gilmore, the European Union's special representative for human rights, in the capital today and raised their demand for a minimum wage of Tk 23,000 for the ready-made garment sector.

The RMG minimum wage has been Tk 8,000 since 2018.

Currently, negotiations are going on as a minimum wage board formed by the government is reviewing the minimum wage.

They told the EU rights rapporteur to mount pressure on buyers to pay fair prices to factories so that the workers are not paid low wages, said sources present at the meeting.

The labour representatives also spoke about the murder of Shahidul Islam, a union organiser of the Bangladesh Garment and Industrial Workers Federation in Gazipur.

Shahidul was attacked by cadres outside the compound of Prince Jacquard Sweater Ltd in Sataish Baganbari area in Gazipur when he was negotiating the demands of the factory workers on June 25.

The rights activists stressed that they do not want any trade-related sanctions or restrictions. They said when the Generalised System of Preferences was taken away from Bangladesh, it not only hurt the industry, but also directly affected the workers.

All unions present at the meeting said they wanted the GSP to be restored.

They also spoke about new laws under the process of enactment that criminalise "illegal" strikes. This will affect labour rights, they said.

They appraised Gilmore how workers are automatically fired, or considered as resigned, if they are absent at work for more than 10 days, as per the law. The activists also spoke about how the labour law must be changed to allow trade unions inside special economic zones. They also described at length how factory owners infiltrate unions, and about the prevalence of such "yellow unions".

Unions and federations represented in the meeting include National Garments Workers Federation, Bangladesh Garments Industrial Workers Federation, Awaaz Foundation, Solidarity Centre among others. Representatives of Bangladesh Legal Aid Services Trust were also present.