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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2013
Business www.dhakatribune.com/business
As wages rise, so do rents Home owners have already hiked rents for apparel workers more than the increased allowance rent, increasing from Tk800 in the previ- than 2,500. turers and Exporters Association (BGMEA). n Ibrahim Hossain Ovi After that incidence of Rana Plaza colHe put stress on taking steps by the gov- ous structure. The house rent is 40% of the As soon as the minimum wage of garment workers was increased, the house owners had raised rents to an amount more than the increased allowance. As per the new wage structure, Shahena Parveen’s house rent allowance would increase by less than Tk500, but her house owner has already announced to increase rent by Tk1,000. Shahena Parveen is a worker at an apparel factory of IDS Group in Dhaka. Like her, the country’s around four millions of garment workers was just aspiring to live a better life after the wage hike. But their hopes did not last long as the house lords had appeared to ask them pay more from January. “Now, I have no other way but to leave the house,” said Shahena Parveen living in a Mirpur tin-shed room with her ailing mother and school-going younger brother. When interviewed a good number of workers in Gazipur, Savar, Mirpur and Farmgate areas, they told the Dhaka Tribune that the new rent hike has put them in an uneasy situation again. The workers urged the authorities including BGMEA to take steps so that the house owners do not raise rents. “Workers have to pay most of their incomes as house rent. To prevent owners from hiking rent again, the government, BGMEA and other authorities concerned should take necessary steps,” said Serajul Islam Rony, president of Bangladesh Garment Workers Employees League. Some garment workers’ bodies have threatened to stand against any decision of rent hike by their house owners. “If the house owners increase rent without prior permission of due authorities, we will initiate tough movement to prevent it,” said Bahrain Sultan Bahar, president of Jago Bangladesh Garments Sramik Federation. The workers urged the government to ensure proper implementation of laws related with house rent. Meanwhile, the BGMEA is going to distribute leaflets among the workers assuring them of any assistance they will require against house rent hike. The apparel trade body will receive phone calls through a hot line number from the workers facing any “sudden and undue” rent hikes. The BGMEA hot-line number will be mentioned in the leaflets, said sources. “It’s a great challenge for us to ensure that the workers can enjoy the real benefit of wage hike,” said Reaz Bin Mahmood, vice president of Bangladesh Garment Manufac-
ernment and others concerned to play an effective role in controlling house rents for the garment workers of the country. Frequent increase of house rents by the owners is a common phenomenon in the Bangladeshi cities, particularly in Dhaka. The low income people like apparel workers bear the brunt of such frequent hike of rents. While the RMG worker in the country hardly see their wages have been revised, increase of house rents is one of their most common bad experiences. The house owners have not spared the tenant RMG workers this time also when a minimum wage board formed by the government finalised Tk5,300 as minimum wage on November 21. Of the amount, the basic salary for an entry-level readymade garment worker is Tk3,000. The previous minimum wage for the country’s most vibrant sector which earns more than US$21bn of the total $27bn from exports was Tk3,000. The new hike is 70% of the previous amount. Around four millions of workers, mostly poor women, are involved with the sector. As per the new wage structure, an entry-level worker will get Tk1,200 as house
basic amount according to the new wage structure. The garment industry of Bangladesh met the worst accident in history in April this year, killing over Tk1,129 and injuring more
lapse, the garment owners and buyers came under severe criticisms locally and globally. Different rights groups around the world demanded ensuring of work place safety and living wages for the apparel workers. l
A veiw of some densely located tin-made shanties near Gulshan, Dhaka, where many readymade garment workers reside SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN