South Asian Network on Economic Modeling and the Microfinance Opportunities in a recent study revealed that readymade garment workers in Bangladesh are receiving monthly wages on average 50 percent lower than national the minimum living wages.
The workers, according to the study released on January 1, states that in order to make up the low wage gap workers are forced to seek overtime and excess hours of work gap. The study covered 1,300 selected garment workers in Dhaka city, Narayanganj, Gazipur, Chattogram, and Savar under the ‘Garment Worker Diaries’ project.
The study found that the monthly minimum living wage in Bangladesh ranges from Tk 19,200 to Tk 22,900 for Dhaka, Tk 19,200 to Tk 22,900 for Gazipur, Narayanganj, and Savar, and Tk 21,300 to Tk 26,000 for Chattogram.
It was found that median wages for a regular work month without overtime was Tk 9,984 (Tk 9,669 for women and Tk 10,928 for men). The wage gap was 51-60 percent for women and 45-54 percent for men.
To calculate the cost of a basic but decent life the Garment Worker Diaries used expenses related to food, housing, other essential needs, and a small margin for unforeseen events.
According to the Global Living Wage Coalition, a living wage can be defined as the remuneration received for a standard work week by a worker in a particular place sufficient to afford a decent standard of living for the worker and her or his family.
