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Support Bangladeshi Garment Workers Struggling for 35 Cents

National Labor Committee
October 28, 2009

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On Saturday, October 17, garment workers in Bangladesh joined by the National Garment Workers Federation (NGWF) led a protest demanding that the country's minimum wage be raised to 35 cents an hour.

The current minimum wage in Bangladesh's garment industry is 1662 taka a month. This comes to just 11 ½ cents an hour!

Current Minimum Wage

11 ½ cents an hour

91 cents a day (8 hours)

$5.48 a week (48 hours)

$23.76 a month

$285.12 a year

($1.00 = 68.95 taka)

No one can survive on 11 ½ cents an hour, leaving the workers and their families trapped in abject misery. Hoping to climb out of misery and into poverty, the garment workers are asking that the minimum wage be raised to 35 cents an hour--which is hardly a wild demand.

In this day and age, one would think that the U.S. apparel companies and retailers, along with ourselves, the consumers, would blush with shame that women garment workers in Bangladesh who toil 12 hours a day sewing our clothing are in the position of having to struggle to earn just 35 cents an hour!

This should be a no-brainer. Are there really any U.S. apparel companies or retailers that would fight to block the proposed 35-cent an hour wage demanding that it stay at 11 ½ cents?

If the garment workers win their struggle, the minimum wage will be raised to 5000 taka a month. This breaks down to: 35 cents an hour

$2.79 a day

$16.73 a week

$72.52 a month

$870.20 a year

There are over two million mostly young women garment workers in Bangladesh, who sew $3.54 billion worth of garments for export to the U.S. each year. Bangladesh is the third largest exporter in the world of apparel to the U.S. It would be a safe venture to say that almost every one of us wears garments made in Bangladesh.

Please take a minute to sign a letter to the National Retail Federation asking them to publicly endorse the new minimum wage in Bangladesh guaranteeing that the workers earn at least 35 cents an hour.

These are some of the hardest working yet poorest women anywhere in the world. We do not have to allow this. Please stand up to help our sisters in Bangladesh, and spread the word. Get your friends involved.

Why write to the National Retail Federation?

The National Retail Federation is the world largest retail trade association, representing more than 1.6 million U.S. retail establishments with more than 24 million employees and 2008 sales of $4.6 trillion. The National Retail Federation has enormous power, and if they have the heart and soul to do it, they can help the women garment workers climb out of misery and into poverty. If the National Retail Federation supports raising the minimum wage in Bangladesh to a very modest 35 cents an hour, it will happen.

Sign the Petition

If you wish to contact NRF president Tracy Mullin directly, her contact information is provided below.

Phone: 202-783-7971

Email: mullint@nrf.com

NOTICE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for research and educational purposes.