Garment workers trash BBS survey results on wage

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Shakhawat Hossain
A garment worker in the country earns Tk 3888 a month on average, a countrywide government wage survey said Tuesday, amid angry protests from the unions who say the figure is 'manufactured'.
According to the survey carried out by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS), eight types of labourers working in garment sector receive monthly wage between Tk 2609 and Tk 6391.
The payment is based on normal working hours and does not include over-time and other benefits.
"Such wage figures are not acceptable as they are giving a rosy picture about the wage payment in the sector," said Sammylita Garment Sramik Federation president Nazma Akhtar.
The incomes shown in the study are concocted, she said, adding that such wages are acceptable only when the overtime and other benefits were included.
An administrative assistant/computer operator is receiving, according to the study, an average wage of Tk 6391 and a cutting and knitting helper Tk 2609.
Knitting operators, dress cutters, sewing operators, laundry-men, security guards/office peons and packing/folder labourers are getting each Tk 4760, Tk 3997, Tk 3505, Tk 3500, Tk 3232 and Tk 3058 respectively.
Qumrul Ahsan, general secretary of the Bangladesh Garment Workers and Employees Federation, said his association cannot accept the survey results because those are flawed.
"The BBS survey includes computer operators and administrative assistants among the garment workers. But as per garment labour law they should not be included," he said.
The leaders of the association said the BBS survey is giving wrong impression about the country's garment sector wages when many workers are not getting the government fixed minimum monthly wage of Tk 1662.50.
Garment sector, which accounts 76 per cent for the country's forex income, hosts some 40 per cent of the country's total workforce. Some 4.5 million, of which 60 per cent is women, are working in the sector.
For the first time, the BBS conducted the survey titled Wage Survey 2007.
It includes garment among 35 others sectors, including banking and insurance, transport, foods and beverages, textile, leather, pharmaceutical, aviation, plastic and construction.
Air transport workers are getting the highest average monthly wage of Tk 8064 among top ten sectors. Banking and insurance sector employees are in the second position having monthly average wage of Tk 7254.
Water, gas and water supply labourers are getting monthly average wage of Tk 6271 and Railway workers Tk 6247.
Cement industry labourers are getting Tk 4844, Chinese restaurant workers Tk 4452, construction workers Tk 4292, basic metal labourers Tk 4277, road transport workers Tk 4219 and glass and ceramic production workers Tk 4120.
The lowest paid sectors are bidi/tobacco workers. They get an average wage of Tk 2215, private education (primary and pre primary school teachers, peon guard, clerk and aya) Tk 2400 and rice/wheat/spices machine workers Tk 2712.