BGMEA President, Faruque Hassan made the demand in a letter
to Stephen Lamar, President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of American
Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA), the platform for the American
retailers and brands, on September 28, 2023.
“Considering the standard and cost of living of our workers,
and the inflation, we also expect fair price and ethical sourcing from our
valued buyers,” Hassan said in the letter.
The BGMEA chief urged the AAFA to pursue the US brands
and retailers for rational price for the orders for Items to be produced from
December 2023 and onward.
“This is important for a smoother transition to a new wage
scale. May you kindly share this letter to your members, please,” Hassan said.
He said the BGMEA is working to improve the skill and
efficiency level of the workers, and such initiatives should have broader
collaboration.
“As we commit ourselves to continuously delivering the
better, we are leaving no stone unturned to optimize the value of our spending,
with an uncompromising stance on ethical and responsible business. Your
continued support will be crucial,” he said.
Recently,
the AAFA wrote a letter to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina expressing concern
about the labour rights situation in Bangladesh following the killing of labour
leader Shahidul Islam in June this year.
The suspects of the Shahidul Islam have been arrested, the
BGMEA chief mentioned.
Hassan said the Bangladesh labour law was amended in 2013
and 2018.
Further amendment to the labour law is in the final stage
after a rigorous tripartite consultation, he said.
As per data from Office of Textiles and Apparel (OTEXA) the
USA’s import from Bangladesh dropped by 20% in US dollar terms and 29.03% in
square meter in January-July 2023.
“We understand the stress of managing supply chain at your
end, we, the manufacturers, are also in a complete ‘nightmare situation’ to
manage our capacities, supply chain, planning and forecasting. Yet, we have
been quite successfully able to retain growth in our export, so far,” the
letter said.
The Minimum Wage Board for the garment workers is working to
review the current minimum wages. The board has already done several meetings
and currently consulting with different stakeholders, said Hassan.
“They are visiting factories and discussing with workers and
owners. I believe before the end of this year a new minimum wage will be
declared and there will be a rational adjustment, if we look at the trend of
previous reviews, as well as the aggregate inflation in past five years.”
