Z A M Khairuzzaman :
Exploitation of the workforce by employers, who pay little attention towards securing the workers’ livelihoods, remains the issue that demands the attention of the government of Bangladesh.
This is very much true for the workforce employed in the leather industry, the country’s second-largest export sector after the readymade garments sector. As per sources in Bangladesh Tanners Association (BTA), there are around 200 tanneries in the country. One hundred twenty-seven of them are based in the tannery industrial area of Savar in Dhaka.
Generally, tannery workers work throughout the week for long hours. The worrying trend is that issues like working for long hours and non-payment of basic wages etcetera, have become the norm in tannery industries. Wage growth and employment benefits are minimal in this industry with most of the workers earning less than the legal minimum wage.
Workers toil for long hours, and are subject to the whims of their employers because of scant union activism, weak workers’ representation, and the lack of formal employment arrangements such as written contracts. All these malpractices need to be changed- the sooner the better for the country.
Depriving tannery workers of fair wages is a pressing issue. When the government promotes ease of doing business by relaxing norms to benefit the employer, the worker loses in the long run. Here is an example:
On February 27, 2018, the government published a gazette on the 4th wage board, under which tannery workers were entitled to a minimum salary of Tk 13,500.
Additionally, they were to be given a five percent annual increment in basic wages. However, tannery owners did not implement this measure even though the five-year tenure has already passed. Afterwards, many years passed, but the wage of tannery workers did not increase a little bit. And, the government never intervened, asking the tannery owners to implement the wage board.
Now, the tannery workers are getting Tk 8,000-Tk13,000 per month. It is not possible to maintain a family with this money amid the high inflation. “Quality products won’t be produced if the workers don’t get fair wages,” opined Tannery Workers’ Union (TWU) President Abul Kalam Azad.
Presently, the TWU leaders are demanding of the authorities concerned to form a wage structure raising the minimum wage to Tk 25,000 for tannery workers considering the prevailing high inflation, skyrocketing prices of essentials and high standard of living.
Leather industry workers will be deprived of their basic needs for survival if not given a minimum wage of Tk 25,000. A study conducted by TWU in the recent past revealed the grim reality. The Union found the findings by interviewing workers, analysing prices of daily necessities, house rent, cost of medical care, education of workers’ children and other essentials.
Tannery industry leaders presented the findings at a discussion jointly organised by TWU and Bangladesh Labour Rights Journalists’ Forum (BLRJF) with the support of Solidarity Center-Bangladesh at a city hotel some time ago.
According to the document provided during the event, TWU conducted the study by applying the Anchor Methodology, a globally accepted methodology for determining minimum wages.
A total of 52 workers, of which 20 were female and 32 males, were interviewed in Dhaka’s Hazaribagh and Savar’s Hemayetpur areas. Considering the average minimum food intake, cost of accommodation, medical, education, recreation, entertainment, clothing, mobile, Internet and high inflation, the monthly expense of a family of four should be at least Tk25,000, the study said.
The survey was conducted during a period between February 1 to March 15, this year. TWU General Secretary Abdul Malek, also the workers’ representative in the Minimum Wage Board of the industry, presented the study findings.
During the event, Solidarity Center-Bangladesh Office Country Program Director AKM Nasim said, “As per law, the union can bargain for higher wages with the owners irrespective of the declared minimum wage. But we never actually see it. The minimum wage for the workers will be determined through successful bargaining of the union with the wage board forming authorities. But this is not the end. The wages determined are rarely implemented in tanneries. We should be aware of that too.”
Abdul Malek, said, “Once, a raw cowhide was sold at Tk3,000-3,500 which is now sold for only Tk 200 – Tk 300.” “Why did the rawhide prices come down while the prices of other products go up in the country, he posed this question. “Almost all business sectors have developed vastly in the country. But, despite being the oldest industry, the leather industry was not developed due to exploitation of workers. We want the development of the leather industry as well as fair wages of workers,” he stated.
In her speech, Solidarity Center-Bangladesh Office Deputy Country Program Director Monika Hartsel said, “It is essential that the minimum wage board’s recommended wage reflects the reality of the cost of living for tannery workers and their families to lead a dignified life. Why is it that the people whose labour makes it possible to produce luxury leather boots are not able to afford simple shoes for their school-going children?”
Sonia Mistry, Global Lead, Climate Change and Labour Justice Director, Solidarity Center, who graced the occasion as the special guest, said that “Because of Climate Change-induced extreme weather events, tannery workers have to spend beyond capacity. Their spending increased manifold. To cope with the situation, their wages should be determined according to the needs of the time.”
(The writer is a senior journalist and columnist. E-mail:[email protected])
