by Farhad Mahmud
A few weeks ago, right after Professor Yunus set out his suggestions for the garment industry, I sent an email around to my friends at home and abroad, seeking a few answers and a little bit of clarification, on some of the specific proposals Professor Yunus had put forward. Much to my disappointment, only one person had come up with a reply, raising more questions than answers.
Posting the text of the original email on Alal O Dulal seeking answers and inviting readers to engage in a timely and important discourse:
Quote:-
Subject: a few questions, seek answers
From: an economics graduate
No criticism please. Only explanations supporting the suggestions are expected. Please provide your answers separately on the individual points, rather than a general reply. Please reply to any number of points you wish to:
1. “My proposal is that the foreign buyers will jointly fix a minimum international wage level. For example, if the minimum wage is now 25 cents per hour in Bangladesh, then they will standardise minimum wage for garment industry as 50 cents per hour. No buyer will give any salary below this rate, and no industry/owner will fix salary below this limit. It would be an integral part of compliance”.
Question. Does he mean the government abdicate its responsibility to foreign buyers in fixing minimum wages in Bangladesh ? How will they ‘give’ salary to our workers ?
Source: AlalODulal.org