Khokon Miah works as an operator in the factory of SM Knit Composite Limited in Gazipur for a monthly wage of Tk4,900. During this Eid-ul-Azha, he got a bonus of Tk1,500.
Last year his income was the same; but somehow he managed to get a sacrificial goat for “kurbani” for his family with his meagre earnings.
But this year, the prospects look dim.
“I do not think I can get a sacrificial goat this year because living cost has rocketed over the last one year. Last year I paid Tk150 as bus fare for going to my village home. This year, I am having to pay Tk360,” said Khokon, who is the only bread-earner of a seven-member family.
“Nobody thinks about us; how we manage the expenses of our families with such a small wage,” he grimly said.
Abu Syed, who works as a knitting operator in the same factory with Khokon, was not as lucky.
Syed, who earns a monthly wage of Tk3,000 plus a meagre piece-rate payment, did not even get the Eid bonus this time around.
He said the prices of essentials have shot up alarmingly in recent times, robbing him of all hopes and dreams of celebrating a happy Eid with his near and dear ones.
“I could never even dare to think about a sacrificial goat because I have not got a single increment for the last three years that I have been working at SM Composite Limited,” said Syed, who hails from Nalitabari of Sherpur.
“Even getting three proper meals a day and managing the least of clothing requirements for my family have got so tough. All we do is somehow survive,” he said with a sunken face.
For Ruma Akhter, who works as a sewing operator in a factory of High Fashion Limited in the same area, an enjoyable Eid has been a mirage.
She said she did not have any idea what she would tell her family because the authorities of her factory had not even paid the wage – let alone the bonus – till yesterday; not that she could have made much difference with Tk3,000.
The government has formed a wage board to fix the minimum wage for the garment workers. That board is supposed to come up with a suitable recommendation by November.
The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association has proposed a “farcical” 20% hike on the existing minimum wage of Tk3,000. That would amount to only Tk600.
However, union leaders have been demanding a minimum monthly wage of Tk8,114 for garment workers to give them some sort of economic stability amid the raging inflation.
