Dhaka, Sep 14 (Just News): The workers of ready-made garment factories today staged demonstration in Dhaka rejecting the government’s decision to raise their minimum monthly wage to Tk 8,000.
They demanded a minimum monthly wage Tk 16,000 instead of Tk 8,000 for the 4.4 million garment workers during the demonstration in front of the Jatiya Press Club in the capital.
Several hundred workers led by Garments Sramik Trade Union Kendra staged a sit-in at around 11:30am and blocked the road, halting traffic movement.
The workers’ leaders said they would announce tougher programmes if the government does not meet their demand soon.
Later, they brought out a procession chanting various slogans and ended it at Paltan intersection.
Expressing his solidarity with the workers’ demand, Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) President Mujahidul Islam Selim said the minimum salary of garment workers should be Tk 21,000 considering the price hike of daily necessities.
He said it is not acceptable that the gross salary of a sweeper (government employee) is Tk 17,000, while the wage of a skilled garment worker is Tk 8,000.
Speaking at the rally, Joly Talukdar, general secretary of Garments Sramik Trade Union Kendra, said the current government is an owner-friendly government.
Joly said the government should accept the demand of the over 40 lakh workers rejecting the demand of only 5,500 garment owners.
Besides, Garments Sramik Front, Bangladesh Garments Sramik Sanghati and Garments Sramik Adhikar Andolan, a platform of 12 organisations, staged demonstration over the same issue and held separate rallies in front of the Jatiya Press Club at the same time.
Yesterday, the government raised the minimum monthly wage for the garment workers by around 51 percent to Tk 8,000 from the existing Tk 5,300 with effect from December.
Md Mujibul Haque Chunnu, state minister for labour and employment, announced this at a press briefing at his secretariat office yesterday after the fifth and final meeting of the wage board formed in January.
