Workers' side seeks Tk 32,000 minimum wage in RMG sector

The workers’ side has proposed a minimum monthly wage of Tk 32,000 for workers in the readymade garment (RMG) industry. It has also proposed setting the minimum wage at Tk 30,000 for new or apprentice workers.

The proposal was made at the second meeting of the Minimum Wage Board, held on Monday at the board’s office in Segunbagicha, Dhaka. The details were disclosed at a joint briefing with journalists after the three-hour meeting.

The meeting was chaired by Minimum Wage Board Chairman Syed Azad Subhani. Other attendees included the board’s independent member, University of Dhaka professor Mosleh Uddin Ahmed; employers’ representative and Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) director ABM Shamsuddin; workers’ representative and Bangladesh Garments and Industrial Workers Federation (BGIWF) General Secretary Babul Akhter; the board’s permanent workers’ representative and Bangladesh Jatiyatabadi Sramik Dal President Anwar Hossain; and the permanent employers’ representative and Bangladesh Employers Federation Joint Secretary General Asif Ayub.

At the briefing, workers’ representative Babul Akhter outlined the details of their proposal. He said a worker needed Tk 45,000 to Tk 60,000 a month to maintain a decent standard of living for a family of four, taking into account nutritional needs, calorie requirements, housing, healthcare and education costs.

However, considering the industry's capacity and the overall situation, they had proposed setting the minimum wage at Tk 32,000 for Grade 4 workers.
The employers’ side was scheduled to submit its written proposal at the meeting but failed to do so.

Employers’ representative ABM Shamsuddin said that due to the disorderly situation in industrial areas around Dhaka, factory owners had to devote more attention to running their factories. As a result, they needed more time to prepare their wage proposal.

They had requested seven working days, but the board unanimously granted them four days. They will submit their proposal to the board within the next four working days.

However, Minimum Wage Board Chairman Syed Azad Subhani instructed the employers’ side to submit its proposal within four working days. He said, “Even if the employers’ side fails to submit its proposal at the next meeting, we will move forward with the decision-making process. We will not wait for their proposal.”

At the briefing, the chairman said the meeting had unanimously taken two important decisions.

First, to learn directly about workers’ actual conditions and expectations, board members will visit garment factories of all categories in different labour-intensive industrial areas within this week.

Second, independent board member Professor Mosleh Uddin Ahmed has been tasked with reviewing international indicators for determining wages. If necessary, he may seek opinions from the Institute of Business Administration (IBA) of the University of Dhaka, as well as prominent economists and experts in the country.

At the briefing, the chairman and representatives of both the employers and workers said the process of finalising the new wage structure would be completed by December. According to them, the new wage structure would take effect from December, and workers would receive their increased wages in the first week of January.