Impact of the Low Wages on the Health and Nutritional Status of RMG Workers in Bangladesh

Readymade Garments sector is making enormous contribution as a great source of employment especially for women and export income and in the economic development of Bangladesh. The future of this sector is highly optimistic but depends on the garment workers who come from extreme poor families of rural Bangladesh. These workers have a difficult life. Persistent poverty, inadequate nutrition intake and gender inequity cause pervasive malnutrition and different health problems which make these workers less productive. Poor health results in loss of working days and reduced productivity. Healthy people can transform their energy into productivity, both mental and physical, more efficiently than the sick and undernourished people do. Their education level is too low to increase their skill for further development in labor market. In RMG sector workers are working hard but their basic demand of quality wage is not met. Poor health condition of RMG workers is reducing not only their own productivity, but also affects the growth of RMG sector itself. In comparison to other developing countries like Sri Lanka, South Korea, Hong Kong etc, labor productivity of Bangladeshi workers is lower. This sector needs to improve its labor force productivity to compete globally. Increase in wage can create opportunity for workers to have better diets, improved health care and healthier living conditions. The increase in health and nutrition status of the workers can play a vital role in improving individual productivity as well as a healthy garment society in Bangladesh. This milieu, this article with a qualitative method explores the impact of low wages on the health and nutritional status of RMG workers in Bangladesh.