Although leading in garment manufacturing, workers' wages are among the lowest in the world

Although the garment industry is ahead of many other countries, Bangladesh's workers' wages are the lowest in the world, according to the Census Committee.

According to the investigation report, the question is - why should we ask for wages? Why ask for increment? Commodity prices do not increase secretly that no one knows. Everyone knows the market conditions, the wage board also knows very well. Yet the wages remain arrears, there is no rational adjustment. Workers have to take to the streets.

These things were said in the report of the investigation committee in a press conference at Dhaka Reporters Unity on Saturday (September 7). Professor Anu Mohammad and Barrister Jyotirmoy Barua read out the investigation report at the press conference.

The report also said that workers should demand a reasonable minimum wage. Attacks, lawsuits and shots are found in return!

In Vietnam, Bangladesh's closest rival, the minimum wage for a garment worker is around $200, the report said, despite Cambodia's economy being fragile compared to ours, they set the minimum wage for workers at more than $200. In India and Pakistan it is 170-180 dollars. A garment worker in China earns $300. In Bangladesh in 2018, the wage of garment workers is set at 95 dollars. It was supposed to be adjusted every year, but it was not done. The workers demanded 25,000 taka, which is close to $200, as the minimum wage.

The owner offered twelve and a half thousand rupees, which is reported to be close to $110.

It was the responsibility of the government and the Wage Board constituted by the government to carefully monitor and verify the demands of the workers. But instead of doing that, they only listened to the owners. Under the pressure of police, BGB, terrorist forces imposed those low wages on the workers. Three workers, including a sleeping worker, were shot and burnt to death, while many others were injured. The government has not taken any initiative to investigate this.

8 recommendations were made by the inquiry committee. Notable among them is to ensure exemplary punishment of the responsible persons by conducting proper investigation of the killing of workers. The police and the terrorist forces of the then government party attacked the workers, shot them and injured them and then arrested and tortured them with false cases in the name of those workers. The harassment still continues. Immediately withdraw all false cases filed with compensation to all.

If a policeman kills or injures someone by breaking the existing law, then the Ministry of Home Affairs should also take responsibility along with the individual police.

We have always seen the industrial police playing the role of the lathial force of the owners in accordance with its declared position. which undermines the industrial environment and creates mistrust and uncertainty in the industry. That is why this force should be abolished in the interest of industry.

An acceptable institutional mechanism for wage fixation and its revision at fixed periods should be ensured, so that workers do not have to take to the streets for wage agitation. Wages arrears, fraud, cheating must be stopped.

There is no effective labor court in Bangladesh. It is impossible to get justice for the workers as much as there is. The number of labor courts should be increased and institutional support should be provided to ensure equal opportunities for workers.

According to the investigation report, a public inquiry committee was formed on March 22 to investigate the incidents of workers killed in the wage movement. But our work has been interrupted due to various unavoidable reasons including the situation arising in the country. This has resulted in a delay in the release of the full report.

In response to a question from journalists, Anu Mohammad said that at least 100 laborers were killed in the latest student uprising.