Deprivation of garment workers

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THE garment owners have been depriving their workers since long. A UK-based charity, War on Want, stated that textile workers in Bangladesh who make clothes for Primark, Asda and Tesco are paid as little as seven pence an hour as living costs surge. The workers are worse off compared two years ago when it first exposed the abuse. It urged the UK government to take steps to ensure that living wages for the overseas workers are guaranteed.
The garment owners' are keen only to make profit. They want to earn more and more by taking advantage of the national and international market facilities. They exert pressure on the government to provide them with extra facilities whenever any unusual situation arises. In exchange, why can't they increase the wages of the workers or give some facilities to the workers? It seems that they do not pay attention to the minimum wellbeing of the workers. There might be some exceptions.
'War on Want' said that high inflation and increasing fuel costs in Bangladesh had driven up the price of low-quality rice by 70 per cent. But the government proposed wage-hike was less than 60 per cent against the demand for of 100 per cent rise. Even then not all the garment owners have yet implemented the new minimum wage of Tk 1600. How long will this situation allowed to continue?

Shahana Begum
Gazipur