Tk 25,000 minimum wage or we boycott polls

The readymade garment workers will boycott the national polls if the government fails to guarantee Tk 25,000 as their minimum wage by then, said speakers at a procession yesterday.

They made the remarks at “Garment Workers Movement for Wage Increase” organised by 11 rights organisations in front of Jatiya Press Club in the capital.

The speakers also demanded a 10 percent annual increment.

According to the participants, additional benefits, including overtime pay, gratuities, and maternity benefits, have also been taken away from the workers.

No party has yet proposed any new wage board, despite the fact that a proposal in this regard has already been submitted to the authorities. This delay is an indication that the workers are in danger, the speakers said.

With barely Tk 8,000, the workers and their families are battling disease and malnutrition. It is impossible for them to make ends meet with less than Tk 25,000, they said.

The participating leaders and activists also said the wage board must be made public to guarantee accountability and transparency.

Taslima Akhter, president of Bangladesh Garments Sramik Sanghati, presided over the demonstration organised by Raju Ahmed, secretary of Garment Sramik Federation.