Specific living wage for garment workers urged

Channa Kasturisinghe

WAGES: Amidst apparel industry's efforts to promote Sri Lanka's garments in the US and the EU under the new theme "Garment's Without Guilt" the industry workers have intensified their effort to win a living wage.

Apparel-industry Labour Rights Movement (ALaRM), a collective organisation of industry trade unions claimed that the 275,000 workers in the apparel industry which mainly comprises females are not being paid a reasonable salary.

The Movement yesterday urged the apparel industry stakeholders and the Government to seriously consider a sector specific living wage for Sri Lankan garment workers.

"As the industry stakes its claim for a guilt-free label, for it to be taken seriously it has to match its claim with meaningful action." Coordinator, ALaRM P.B. Gowthaman told the media in Colombo yesterday. He was presenting findings of a survey on 'Sector specific living wage for Sri Lankan apparel industry workers'.

According to the survey findings an employee within the Free Trade Zones should receive Rs. 12,504 if that is to be considered a living wage.

He said a worker outside FTZ's should receive Rs. 10,183.

He said despite that fact the average salary of a garment worker remains at Rs. 4,785.

"The calculations were done using different income modes of the workers such as bonus, overtime income, attendance allowances, service incentives etc. One of the main indicators of workers' income is basic income which is earned within regular working hours.

An analysis of basic salaries against income reveals that a significant number of workers earn a significantly lower basic salary," Gowthaman said.

Gowthaman said that workers should receive a wage enough to afford a standard level of nutrition, housing, transportation, energy, healthcare, childcare, education and savings within regulated working hours.

"We calculated the living wage taking into consideration all these factors. Given, Sri Lanka's escalating cost of living and its promotion to a `lower-middle income' classification the need to introduce fair and decent wage that considers the garment workers contribution to this successful industry is of paramount importance," he said.