Trade union leaders in the apparel sector were critical of the proposed budget for the 2024–25 fiscal year, pointing out that it did not include any funding to provide RMG workers with necessities at reduced costs despite the items’ skyrocketing pricing.
Leaders of the IndustriAll Bangladesh Council, held a press conference at the National Press Club in the capital city of Dhaka. They pledged to start a hard campaign after Eid-ul-Azha if the necessary funds were not included in the budget.
One of the largest religious celebrations for Muslims, Eid-ul-Azha, will take place nationwide on 17th June.
Expressing dissatisfaction over the proposed budget, labour leaders said that despite promises from the Government, no allocation for workers’ food ration was included in the proposed budget.
Finance Minister Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali placed the proposed budget for the 2024-25 financial year at Jatiya Sangsad in the capital Dhaka on 6th June.
‘In 2023, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina assured that she would consider implementing a food ration programme for workers. She gave the assurance in response to the demonstration of RMG workers in the Mirpur area of the city demanding wage adjustments to keep pace with growing inflation,’ IBC senior vice-president ZM Kamrul Anam said.
Unfortunately, there was no reflection of the Prime Minister’s assurance in the proposed budget, he said.
If the administration failed to secure funding for the worker food ration programmes in the budget, Kamrul predicted a forceful protest following Eid.
The IBC announced six demands during the press conference, which included creating a new minimum wage structure in all RMG factories, amending the Bangladesh Labour Act to make it more “labour friendly,” and building housing, hospitals and schools for the children of workers in every industrial zone.
