Beginning in mid-2022 we began using data from the Garment Worker Diaries study in Bangladesh to help us calculate the wage a garment worker living there would have to earn to lead a decent life. This living wage range refers not only to the physical, mental and social nourishment a decent wage provides, but also to the fact that the wage calculation itself could be compared to a living, breathing phenomenon.
In this week’s Garment Worker Diaries blog, we discuss why we believe a living wage range needs to be updated from time to time, and for the calculations used to determine that range to also be subject to update and refinement when necessary. Despite the clothing itself, wages are one of the most tangible products of garment workers’ labor, and something they actually get to take home with them. Wages are a part of workers’ daily lives, and those wages’ ability to sustain life in a decent manner should never be taken for granted.
As always, you can send any questions you have for MFO, SANEM, the workers or about the project to questions@workerdiaries.org.
