January of this year was the busiest month for garment workers in Bangladesh since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Workers spent 295 hours on average in the factory during the 27 working days in January, which is higher than usual.

This was revealed in a research of South Asian Network on Economic Modelling (SANEM), in collaboration with USA-based non-profit organization, Microfinance Opportunities (MFO), on the quality of life of garment workers in Bangladesh. 

Also read: Inflation rate is double than the BBS data, says SANEM in a report

Around 1,300 selected garment workers are surveyed every week since April 2020 under the project “Garment Worker Diaries”.

These workers are employed in factories spread across the five main industrial areas of Bangladesh (Chittagong, Dhaka City, Gazipur, Narayanganj, and Savar).

Three-quarters of the survey respondents are women, which roughly represents the composition of labour force in the RMG sector as a whole. This press release has been prepared from the survey data collected in January and February of 2022.

Also read: Female labour force participation lagging in Bangladesh: SANEM webinar

Excluding the one-hour lunch break, the workers worked 268 hours on average in January.

Female workers worked 267 hours on average, while male workers worked 270 hours, excluding the one-hour lunch break.

In the 24 working days of February, the workers spent 259 hours on average in the factory. Workers worked 235 hours on an average in February, excluding the one-hour lunch break.

Read Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton wears garment made in Bangladesh

Among them, female workers worked 234 hours on an average and male workers worked 235 hours on an average.

In both January and February, half of the surveyed workers worked more than the legally allowed 10 hours, which accounts 8 regular hours and 2 overtime hours.

For the work in December, female workers got a salary of Tk 12,000 on average in January, while male workers got salary of Tk 12,500 on average.

Read BGMEA urges BEZA to expedite garment village construction at Mirsarai

For the work in January, female workers got salary of Tk 12,000 on average in February, the same as in January.

Male workers got a salary of Tk 13,000 on average, a Tk 500 increase over the January amount.

In February, 54 percent of workers were paid through mobile financial services (bKash, Nagad, Rocket, etc.) and 46 percent were paid in cash.

Read Embrace employees with disabilities, garment industry urged

About 20 percent of the garment workers reported that at least one member of their household was ill during February.

This illness rate was 26 percent in January.