The Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA) has welcomed the government’s decision to form a new wage board for garment workers, stressing the need to ensure fair wages while maintaining the operational viability of factories. In a statement today, BKMEA President Mohammad Hatem welcomed the decision, saying that ensuring workers’ fair wages and keeping factories operational were equally important.
He said BKMEA understood the pressure garment workers were facing due to the rising cost of living. At the same time, he pointed out that the industry was facing several challenges, including the global economic slowdown, energy crisis, rising production costs and a decline in export orders for factories.
Hatem said the new wage board included representatives from the government, employers and workers. BKMEA believed that a realistic wage structure could be determined through mutual discussions among the three parties.
The BKMEA leader said the proposed wage structure should protect workers’ living standards while maintaining the industry’s competitiveness and capacity.
The statement said workers and the industry were complementary to each other, adding that the country’s economy would progress only when the interests of both sides were protected.
It also called upon all concerned parties to work together to reach an acceptable and sustainable solution.
“Workers can survive only if the industry survives, and the industry can survive only if workers survive,” the statement added.
