Tag Archives: Living wage

The wages board for reviewing wages of country’s readymade garment workers is likely to be formed by this month as the labour ministry asked directorate of labour to finalise the names of the representatives of factory owners and workers for the board.

A survey conducted by IndustriAll Bangladesh Council found that 64 per cent of readymade garment workers cannot bear all the expenses of their daily essentials.  The workers need Tk 19,217 as monthly minimum pay to meet their family expenditure but the minimum wage in the sector is Tk 5,300. 

Worker exploitation is rampant in the global fashion industry, according to countless investigations, studies and reports. So why haven’t fashion brands cleaned up their acts? Even if brands want to be part of the solution (as they are frequently asked to be) they are hindered by the current legal system. The problem is if brands are to eradicate labour exploitation, they must take more control of their supply chains. But if they take more control over their supply chains, they open themselves up to the risk of tremendous legal liability.

Oxfam has released a new report that reveals only four per cent of the price Australians spend on clothing is paid to the factory workers who made it, predominantly in Asia. That equates to 40¢ from a $10 shirt, even if the worker is paid the legal minimum wage in countries like China and Indonesia. The report released Sunday, titled What She Makes: Power and Poverty in the Fashion Industry, shows that while many leading and iconic Australian fashion brands are enjoying boost in revenue, the workers making their clothes, the vast majority of whom are women, are trapped in a cycle of poverty.