On this edition of Your Call, we discuss the fight for higher wages and basic dignity for Bangladesh's 4.4 million garment workers.
Over the past few weeks, workers have taken to the streets to demand a $208 monthly minimum wage, a wage that research studies say is the minimum required to place workers above the poverty line.
Yesterday, Bangladesh’s labor ministry proposed a new minimum wage of $113. The new minimum wage condemns workers to a struggle for basic survival for the next five years, according to the Clean Clothes Campaign. Workers are already relying on income earned in extra shifts, on top of their normal 48-hour work week, loans and skipping meals to save money. Poverty wages are also the main reason why parents sometimes find themselves forced to ask their children to work.
Guest:
Anne Bienias, living wage coordinator with the Clean Clothes Campaign
Web Resources:
Clean Clothes Campaign: Bangladesh government proposes new poverty wage of $113 per month, ignoring the workers’ desperate calls
