The last increase in the minimum wage was announced in 2018.
Workers say they currently need to work overtime to make ends meet.
Kalpona Akter, president of the Bangladesh Garment and Industrial Workers Federation, said they were “extremely frustrated” over what she described as a paltry increase.
Akter said workers are struggling because prices of daily commodities are rising.
“This is very frustrating. We can’t accept this,” she said.
Bangladesh is the second-largest garment-producing country in the world after China with nearly 3,500 factories employing about 4 million workers, most of them women, according to the manufacturers’ association.
It says factory owners are under pressure because global brands in Western countries are offering less than before.
Owners argue that production costs have also increased because of higher energy prices and transportation costs.
Bangladesh annually earns about $55 billion from exports of garment products, mainly to the United States and Europe. The country is exploring new markets such as Japan, China and India.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
