Textile workers' minimum wage set at Tk10,000

The government is set to finalise the minimum monthly wage for textile workers at Tk10,000, three months after raising the minimum wage for garment workers to Tk12,500.

This has sparked debate, with labour leaders calling the new wage "unacceptable" while textile entrepreneurs arguing it is a significant increase compared to previous levels.

Labour leaders have criticised the Tk10,000 minimum wage as insufficient, considering current inflation and market prices. They demanded a wage that reflects the higher cost of living.

In defence of the proposed wage, textile entrepreneurs highlighted a 75% increase compared to the 56% hike in the garment sector. They also emphasised the lighter workload in textile compared to garment work.

Raisa Afroz, secretary of the Minimum Wage Board, told The Business Standard, "The draft of the minimum wage for textile workers has been finalised. A gazette notification will be issued soon in this regard."

Responding to concerns about the fairness of the proposed wage, she stated that the decision was reached with the consent of both factory owners and workers' representatives.

The Bangladesh Textile Mills Association (BTMA) website indicates there are 1,780 affiliated factories, covering various operations like spinning, weaving, dyeing, printing, and finishing.

Monsoor Ahmed, acting secretary-general of BTMA, told TBS that these factories employ around 500,000 workers. He noted that considering non-member factories, the workforce could exceed 800,000, although he could not provide the exact number of non-member factories.

He said the proposed minimum wage for textile workers, set at Tk10,000, is not low. He explained that this wage represents a 75% increase, compared to a 56% increase in the garment sector's wage, which rose from Tk8,000 to Tk12,500.

Md Shahjahan Saju, the worker representative on the wage board for the textile sector, told TBS, "Our initial demand was Tk25,600. However, all parties on the board settled on Tk10,000."

While he believed this wage did not align with current market prices, he eventually accepted it, noting unanimous agreement during the meeting and acknowledging the higher rate of increase compared to the garment sector.

Taslima Akhter, president of the Bangladesh Garment Sramik Sanghati, told TBS that the proposed wage is "unacceptable" because workers cannot afford to live on it due to current inflation.

"We have talked about a minimum wage of Tk25,000 for garment workers. Now the same demand is being raised in different sectors. We want the government to review this wage for textile workers and increase it in line with the market prices," she added.

Following the announcement of the revised wage rate Kutubuddin Ahmed, IndustriALL Bangladesh Council's general secretary and president of the Bangladesh Garments, Textile & Leather Workers' Federation, said, "The situation of textile workers in Bangladesh is pitiable. We strongly denounce the proposed wage hike as it is not sufficient to meet the daily needs of workers and their families."

"It's terrible that the wage board has overlooked workers' demand for living wages, both in RMG as well as the textile sector," he added. 

The wage increase for garment workers has been effective since last December, although many organisations had requested a minimum wage of Tk23,000, the government settled on Tk12,500. Tragically, four workers lost their lives during the movement advocating for the wage increase.

Following the wage increase in the garment sector, similar demands arose in the textile industry. Dissatisfaction was evident in various factories in Gazipur and Savar.

After approximately a month, the wage for this sector will be finalised. The last minimum wage for textile workers was set in 2018 at Tk5,710.

Wages in the textile sector are classified into 10 grades, similar to before. The minimum wage in the 10th grade varies based on location: Tk10,700 in divisional cities, Tk10,350 in district cities, and Tk10,000 in upazilas and other areas. The highest grade, number one, will be Tk15,273.

Unlike the garment sector, the textile sector lacks a strong and organised trade union or federation.