Hasina promises higher pay to garment sector workers
July 7th, 2010 - 12:50 pm ICT by IANS
Dhaka, July 7 (IANS) Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has promised an early pay revision for the country’s ailing garment sector, saying the current pay scales were “too little to meet the basic needs of life”.
She asked the workers to be patient and not resort to violence. By burning and vandalising factories, she said, the workers were harming themselves.
At a function here Tuesday, she blamed the recurring violence on “vested interests” that were bent on keeping down the highest foreign exchange earning sector.
She has asked her ministers and officials to expedite the wage revision process, New Age newspaper said Wednesday.
The government is facilitating negotiations and officials say they expect an accord by this month-end.
The workers have been demanding a minimum wage of Taka 5,000 ($86), but the employers want to pay Taka 1,600 ($26) per month.
Readymade garments and knitwear sector earned $12 billion last year.
However, low wages, poor working conditions and non-compliance of past agreements by employers have resulted in recurring industrial violence.
The European Union, whose member-nations are among major importers, Monday expressed concern about possible delays in delivery of goods.
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- Hasina promises minimum wages for troubled garment sector - May 02, 2010
- New wages for Dhaka's garment workers - Jul 30, 2010
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- New police force in Bangladesh to curb factory violence - Nov 05, 2009
- Violence in Dhaka garment sector as government readies wage revision - Jul 26, 2010
- Industrial workers protest closures in Dhaka - Jun 22, 2010
- Give fair wage to Bangladesh workers: Parliamentary body - Jun 25, 2010
- 20 hurt as garment workers clash with police in Dhaka - Jun 30, 2010
- 50,000 Bangladesh workers booked for violence - Jun 24, 2010
- No minimum wages in 34 industries in Bangladesh - Aug 26, 2010
Tags: european union, factories, foreign exchange, garment sector, garments, importers, industrial violence, knitwear, member nations, minimum wage, minister sheikh hasina, negotiations, new age, pay scales, prime minister, sector workers, taka, wage revision, wages, working conditions