The European Union (EU) and the German government jointly provided assistance of 113.5 million euros, equivalent to about Tk 1,135 crore, to workers who lost their jobs in the garment, leather, and footwear industries during Covid, but workers have only received Tk 9 crore of the fund so far.
It is shocking that the wage board sees it fit to approve such a meagre amount for minimum wage for RMG workers, which is a quarter of what they need just to stay above the poverty line.
We may have abandoned socialism, but there has been precious little “freedom” in the “free markets” that we have supposedly embraced. And if we can feed this industry with blood, sweat, and taxes year after year, surely we should be able to decide the bare minimum that it pays its workers?