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Fair price shops for RMG workers before Ramadan

Star Business Report
Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA) will open five fair priced shops and provide special allowance for the garment workers before the month of \ Ramadan, said the association's president yesterday.
“In these shops food grains, especially rice and pulse will be sold at a lower price than the local market, which will help the workers to cope with rising price during Ramadan," said M Fazlui Hoque, president of BKMEA.
He said three of these out-
lets would be opned in Narayangang, Gazipur and Savar, while speaking at a press conference in Dhaka,
The BKMEA would sell rice at a subsidised rate in response to the demand by different quarters to come up with a rationing plan for the workers, hit hard by the soaring prices of the staple.
Every worker can buy 4 kgs of rice at Tk 25 per kg from the BKMEA's rationing outlets.
"Besides, we will give special allowance to workers of the knitwear factories before Eid-ul Azha," the BKMEA president said.
“Such allowance will be
provided on monthly basis for the workers of ail 1545 BKMEA member garment factories, starting before Eid," he added.
He said as per the decision of the members of BKMEA, every worker would get more than 15 percent of their basic salary as the special allowance.
Currently, the minimum wage of a garment worker is Tkl662 and the basic salary is Tkll25.
He said these initiatives have been taken for the welfare of the workers and to avoid labour unrest during Ramadan.
He demanded 7.5 percent cash subsidy from the government for the development of knitwear sector.
"The government should take necessary measures to ensure timely production and increase subsidy for the knitwear sector, as it is one of the largest foreign currency earners," Hoque said
In 2007-2008 fiscal, the knitwear sector earned $5532 million by exporting knitwear products.
BKMEA Vice Presidents Abdur Rashed Rashu and Abdur Rahman were also present at the press conference.