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’RMG workers need Tk 7,000 a month for healthy life’

Staff Correspondent
Speakersataroundtableyester-day said a garment worker needs at least Tk 7.000 per month to maintain a healthy life, while minimum wage for the garment workers should not be given belowTk 4,500 anyway.
“If calorie needed for a human being is taken into consideration, a garment worker must have Tk 7,000 per month to meet the demand. If that is not considered, the minimum wage for a garment worker, however, should not go below Tk 4,500 anyway." Dr Wazedul Islam.
“If we make a comparative study of hike in the prices of essentials and wage structure of the workers, it would reveal the fact that their wage has decreased over the years rather than an increase," he added, referring to the increased newly fixed minimum wage of Tk 1662.50 by thegovemment.
Meanwhile, about 20 percent
garment workers do not get the minimum wage fixed by the government in 2006 in face of the protests by garment workers, while 45 percent workers do not have any idea about the fixed minimum wage.
“There is a difference between fixing wage and minimum living wage. Living wage is living wage and how can it be minimum as what is required for fife is required. The requirement for keeping a life cannot be minimum." said lawmaker Shahjahan Khan, in a tone of question.
The minimum wage registered an increase in 2006 from the earlier wage of Tk 930 fixed inl994.
All the information was disclosed by a paper prepared by ActionAid at the roundtable titled Implementation of minimum living wage to the RMG workers and poverty’ free of 2.5 million families' at the Cirdap auditorium in the city.
Shadhin Bangla Garment Sramik Karmachari Federation (SBGSKF) organised the roundtable.
“Majority of the 30 lakh garment workers working in the
garment industry live below the poverty' line," said Mir Abul Kalain .Azad, general secretary ofSBGSKF.
In accordance with the study, over 85 percent garment workers do not have any idea about theirsalary grade.
Only five percent get die benefit of having tiffin at their factories which claim to have offered the facilities for their workers and 99 percent workers do not have access to any recreational activities or education of their children or residential opportunity' offered by their respective factories.
The study also revealed that 59 percent workers have their salary due for a period ranged between two weeks to two months, while 29 percent workers receive overtime bill below the fixed rate at Tk 10.80 per hour.
Mashuda Khatun Shefali, executive director of Nari Uddog, conducted the roundtable with SBGSKF President Shamima Nasr in in the chair.
Dr Qazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmad also spoke at the roundtable.