The IndustriALL Bangladesh Council (IBC), has engaged with the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) and the Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA) to demand wage protection. This includes making sure that all workers receive their wages during the curfew period, preventing job losses, retrenchments, or harassment of workers due to the current circumstances, respecting and defending the safety and rights of all workers and their families, and having discussions with trade unions about labour law reforms, minimum wages, and employment policies.
The IBC also calls on the Government of Bangladesh to restore human rights and equity for victims of state violence, including fair compensation and improved workplace safety.
Bangladesh’s industries have have been affected due to student protests that were started by the Government’s restoration of an employment quota system for Government jobs. The apparel industry has been severely impacted, worsening the precarious circumstances for labourers and seriously upsetting their means of subsistence. The violent Government response to the protests has resulted in over 450 deaths, highlighting the deadly nature of the unrest.
According to the IndustriALL press release, Bangladesh’s garment workers have long endured difficult conditions, including low wages, unsafe working environment and suppression of labour rights. The minimum wage protests since 2023 have seen many workers and trade union activists arrested and subjected to violence, including police brutality. It is time to build a sustainable future for the RMG sector with proper wages and working conditions.
