Rejecting the Determination of the 2026 Provincial Minimum Wage (UMP): New Formula, Old Poverty
AFWA Indonesia formally rejects the 2026 Provincial Minimum Wage (UMP) in this position statement. The government’s new formula—which relies on macroeconomic indicators such as inflation and economic growth—is a continuation of the Omnibus Law regime designed to suppress wages to boost investment competitiveness. It fails to account for the actual cost of social reproduction, such as nutritious food, housing, and healthcare, effectively trapping workers in structural poverty and forcing them into debt to survive. In contrast, AFWA advocates for a Living Wage of IDR 9,003,687, calculated using a family-based methodology that prioritises human dignity and 3,000 calories per day over market tolerance. The statement calls for an end to the "race to the bottom" by demanding that global brands and the state recognise a living wage as a fundamental human right rather than a flexible economic variable.
Read our statement: English | Bahasa Indonesia
Worker Rights in Crisis: AFWA Stands with Sri Lanka as Cyclone Ditwah pushes Garment Workers into Danger and Deepening Insecurity
Asia Floor Wage Alliance (AFWA) stands with garment workers in Sri Lanka who are now living through the devastation of Cyclone Ditwah. The floods and landslides caused by the cyclone have claimed the lives of more than 350 people (and counting) in Sri Lanka. Entire worker settlements are under water. Homes flooded so fast that people barely had time to gather their belongings before being moved to relief camps. Streets, access roads, and surrounding areas submerged overnight, cutting workers off from food, clean water, transport, electricity, and communication.
Read our statement: English | Sinhala | Tamil
AFWA Stands In Solidarity With Workers In Mirpur And Chittagong: Accountability Must Be Binding
Asia Floor Wage Alliance (AFWA) stands in deep sorrow, outrage and solidarity with the workers and families affected by the devastating factory fires in Mirpur (Dhaka) and Chittagong in Bangladesh. These tragedies once again expose a system built on the exploitation and neglect of workers’ safety that values profit over human lives in the garment sector.
Read our statement: English | Bangla
Solidarity Statement with Injured Bangladesh Garment Workers And Union Members During Peaceful Demonstration
Asia Floor Wage Alliance (AFWA) stands in unwavering solidarity with our alliance partner, the Bangladesh Garment and Sweater Workers Trade Union Centre (BGSWTUC), after a brutal and unprovoked police assault on a peaceful demonstration in Dhaka on 13th August. The attack left at least thirty workers with serious injuries, among them General Secretary Kazi Ruhul Amin and multiple district leaders, along with workers including Sufia Begum, Salma Akter, Amir Hossain and twelve others who have been hospitalised at Dhaka Medical College, after being attacked for lawfully demanding rightful compensation.
Read our statement here: English
Asia Floor Wage Alliance Demands Brand Accountability As US Tariffs Threaten Millions Of Garment Sector Workers
Asia Floor Wage Alliance (AFWA), a coalition of trade unions representing garment workers across Asia, stands united against trade policies that threaten workers’ interests and deepen global inequality. The U.S. government’s recent imposition of tariffs on apparel imports from Asia endangers the livelihoods of millions of garment workers, predominantly women, already earning poverty-level wages.
The imposition of tariffs risks triggering a humanitarian crisis on the scale of the COVID-19 pandemic – when global brands walked away from their responsibilities – unleashing mass layoffs, factory closures, and widespread wage theft, and intensification of gender-based violence and harassment. The cost of geopolitical maneuvers will be borne by garment workers – the majority of whom are women – who will face unemployment and deepening poverty. All while brands continue to prioritize profit over people.
Read our statement here: English | Bahasa | Bangla | Hindi | Khmer | Kannada | Sinhala | Tamil | Urdu | Vietnamese