For ready-made garment (RMG) sector workers in Gazipur, an increase in monthly wages rarely guarantees a more comfortable standard of living.
Whenever basic salaries are revised upwards, residential house rents experience an immediate jump alongside the rising prices of daily essential commodities.
Historical trends indicate that every previous salary hike in the sector was promptly countered by elevated property rentals, and fears are mounting across the industrial belt that the upcoming pay adjustment will trigger a similar outcome.
The immediate impact of this trend is already visible on the ground. Rani, a machine operator at Spero Garments, recently received a notice from her mess owner stating that the monthly rent for her room will rise by Tk1,000 starting in the new year.
The property owner justified the decision by citing higher utility expenditure for electricity, water, and household gas. This development comes at a time when garment workers are actively demonstrating to demand a minimum monthly salary of Tk30,000.
Although the Minimum Wage Board has yet to finalise exact figures through formal negotiations, authorities have confirmed that the new wage structure will take effect from December, ensuring that workers receive their initial pay cheque of the new year under the revised framework.
Meanwhile, protesting labourers continuously draw attention to the soaring costs of basic provisions, noting that purchasing a single gas cylinder now requires up to Tk2,500, whilst landlord demands threaten to absorb any potential income gains.
Severe coping strategies across industrial hubs
Gazipur’s sprawling industrial belt – comprising key manufacturing zones such as Tongi, Konabari, Kashimpur, Board Bazar, Chandana Chaurasta, Chandra, Safipur, and Mouchak – is home to approximately 20 lakh workers who have relocated from various districts across Bangladesh.
The vast majority of these labourers reside in mess rooms, single-unit accommodations, or compact rented apartments located near their factories.
Because their financial margins are extremely narrow, even a minor increase in house rent exerts a severe impact on their monthly household budgets.
To cope with escalating accommodation costs, many workers share a single room with multiple colleagues, whereas others accommodate their entire families within cramped living spaces.
When rents are raised beyond their means, occupants are forced to adopt drastic measures: some switch rooms, others transition into shared mess arrangements, while some send their family members back to their ancestral village homes, severely degrading their quality of life.
Speaking to TIMES, Mohammad Nadim Ahmed, an operator at Columbia Garments, highlighted the recurring pattern. He observed that whenever discussions regarding wage increases begin, a corresponding tendency to inflate house rents and living expenses emerges.
Nadim warned that if property owners raise rental rates before the new wage structure is formally enforced, the intended benefits of the pay rise will end up directly in the pockets of landlords.
Similarly, Sumi, a swing operator at Matrix Sweaters, explained that her current monthly earnings barely cover essential liabilities, including accommodation, food, family upkeep, and daily commute expenses.
She stressed that a rent increase under present conditions would make sustaining her household virtually impossible.
The apprehension surrounding escalating rents is not confined exclusively to garment sector employees. Private sector staff, small-business owners, and lower-middle-class residents living across Gazipur share identical worries.
Many of these individuals have experienced stagnant wages for extended periods while facing unabated inflation in housing and essential goods.
Md Sumon, a quality controller at Style Apparels, pointed out the total absence of regulatory oversight governing property rentals.
He stated that landlords frequently impose sudden rent increases without adhering to any standard rules, warning tenants that they must either pay the additional amount or vacate the premises immediately.
As a result, vulnerable tenants feel compelled to accept the arbitrary demands.
The severity of the situation affects long-term residents as well. A compliance officer at Intramex Garments disclosed that he has lived in the same rented apartment for 15 years.
Over the past two years alone, his monthly rent escalated from Tk14,000 to Tk18,000.
He expressed deep frustration over the escalating burden, remarking that finding alternative accommodation, paying advance deposits, and funding relocation costs at his age is financially prohibitive, making the city feel increasingly unlivable for ordinary working citizens.
Landlords defend increases citing soaring inflation
In response to tenant concerns, property owners argue that their financial decisions are driven by widespread inflationary pressures.
Md Abu Bakkar Siddique, a landlord in the Lakshmipur area, told TIMES that elevated electricity tariffs and the rising cost of everyday consumer goods have increased the financial burden on homeowners who rely on rental returns to support their families.
He questioned why house rent adjustments face public criticism when the prices of all other goods and services in the market are allowed to rise unchecked.
Adding to this perspective, Zaidul Hamid, a landlord operating in the West Joydebpur area, told TIMES that government pay revisions foster a public perception that consumers possess greater disposable income.
He explained that local traders promptly increase product prices under this assumption, which in turn leads landlords to seek higher rents.
He noted that the heavy demand for residential housing in Gazipur maintains this upward pressure, stating candidly that tenants who can afford the revised rates will remain, while those who cannot will be forced to leave.
Appeals for BGMEA oversight, administrative action
Faced with impending rent hikes, workers and factory managers are calling for institutional intervention to protect wage gains.
Eklasuddin, a knitting operator at Matrix Sweaters, urged the administration to establish strict monitoring and take effective steps to ensure that house rents are not increased under the guise of worker wage hikes.
Echoing these concerns, Chanchal Kumar, the administrative manager at Panacea Sweaters, stressed that immediate rental increases neutralise the positive impact of higher salaries.
He issued an earnest appeal to the President of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) to intervene and ensure that property owners do not raise rents during this pay adjustment cycle.
Acknowledging the growing disquiet among the industrial workforce, the Deputy Commissioner (DC) of Gazipur, Md Nurul Karim Bhuiyan, told TIMES that raising residential rents in lockstep with wage increases is entirely unjustified because it directly degrades the living standards of working people.
He assured that the local administration will, if necessary, take decisive measures within a legal framework to bring house rents under effective regulation.
