Catherwood LibraryILR School

After the Bangladeshi government announced that they would raise the minimum wage to 3,000 takas from 1,662 takas, a 80% increase, workers took to the street to protest what they called an inadequate raise in wages. Workers and labor rights groups were asking for a 5,000 takas (46 euros) a month minimum wage. A report released last month highlighted scores of issues with the garment industry in Bangladesh. the report said that they were the lowest paid workers in the world, and that worker exploitation was rising. Surveys showed that some employers did not pay workers on time an others did not pay overtime or in some cases even the minimum wage. A living wage for Bangladeshi workers has been calculated at 96 euros a month. Activists claim that manufacturers would only have to pay a small amount per garment,saving them from raising their prices. The manufacturers say that they cannot afford to up wages, citing the recession and rising energy costs as reasons for the low wages. There are between 2 and 3 million garment workers in Bangladesh, accounting for about 40% of the workforce and around 80% of the country's export income.