Bangladesh raises minimum wage for garment workers

The minimum wage for Bangladeshi garment workers will rise by 51 percent from December, the country’s Ministry for Labor and Employment is quoted by Reuters as saying. According to the news agency, the new minimum wage has been set at 8,000 taka (approximately 95 dollars) a month, up from 5,300 taka (63 US dollars).

The last time garment workers’ salaries was raised was in 2013, right after the Rana Plaza disaster, when an industrial building housing several garment factories collapsed, killing more than 1,130 workers.

The pay increase is the result of a long negotiation between the Bangladeshi government, garment workers and factory owners. Workers had initially proposed a minimum wage of 16,000 taka(189 US dollars) at a national minimum wage board meeting in July.

Photo: Sustainable Clothing Production