A top global retailer, Inditex, has backed the garment workers' demands regarding their minimum monthly wage in Bangladesh.
"We believe in the right of workers to a living wage, in Bangladesh and in all the markets from which we source. Therefore, we expect the collective demands of workers, expressed through their legitimate unions, including IndustriALL Bangladesh Council (IBC), to be taken into account," the fashion company said in a statement.
"And the current negotiations used to reach agreement for a fair increase in the minimum wage that preserves the right of workers to a living wage," it added.
Inditex, one of the top retailers that source apparels from Bangladesh and the owner of Zara, Bershka, Pull and Bear and several other labels - was the first to publicly supported the wage hike demands.
The IBC demanded Tk 16,000 as the minimum monthly wage for an entry-level garment worker. A wage board was formed to review the wage of garment workers early this year. Owners and workers representatives proposed Tk 6,360 and Tk 12,020 respectively for the same.
Welcoming the Inditex statement, Clean Clothes Campaign (CCC), International Labour Rights Forum and Maquila Solidarity Network jointly urged major brands sourcing from Bangladesh to publicly support workers' demands.
Earlier, the rights groups wrote to the major 25 brands including Aldi, Abercrombie & Fitch, American Eagle, Benetton, C&A, Carrefour, El Corte Ingles, Esprit, GAP, H&M, HBC, Hugo Boss, Inditex, KiK, Levi's, Li & Fung, Lidl, Marks & Spencer, Next, Primark, Sainsburys, Takko, Tesco, VF and Walmart to publicly support workers' demands.
In their non-public responses, a number of brands referred to the Bangladesh Accord on Fire and Building Safety and its successor, the Transitional Accord, as proof of their commitment to maintain their level of sourcing from Bangladesh, CCC said in a separate statement.
Additionally, brands expressed commitment to fully respect and support the outcome of the wage negotiation process, and they referred to their membership in multi-stakeholder initiatives which have all urged the Bangladeshi government to take the workers' and unions' collective demand into account, and highlighted the overall support for the payment of living wages.
"Ultimately, garment brands will benefit from this as well. They can expect better quality of the products they source from Bangladesh if workers are not hungry, in poor health and constantly worried about meeting their families' basic needs, as is currently the case," the CCC added.
