The representative of readymade garment workers will submit an initial wage proposal at the second meeting of the Minimum Wage Board today, on Monday. Meanwhile, labour unrest in Savar-Ashulia and Gazipur has eased since the board’s first meeting. However, authorities declared 38 factories closed on Sunday (8 November), after workers did not report for work.
The second meeting of the wage board will be held at 11:00 am today at its office in Segunbagicha, Dhaka. It will be chaired by Minimum Wage Board Chairman Syed Azad Subhani.
Representatives of both factory owners and workers will attend the meeting. They are expected to bring two experts each to assist in the discussions. The chairman granted permission to do so at the first meeting last Wednesday (4 November).
Garment workers began protesting last month, demanding higher wages. In response, the government formed the wage board on 1 November to revise their minimum wages.
The wage board includes Dhaka University Professor Musleh Uddin Ahmed as an independent member, BGMEA Director ABM Shamsuddin as the owners' representative and Babul Akhter, general secretary of the Bangladesh Garment and Industrial Workers Federation (BGIWF) as the workers' representative.
The board’s permanent workers’ representative is Anwar Hossain, president of the Bangladesh Nationalist Labour Party, while its permanent owners’ representative is Asif Ayub, joint secretary-general of the Bangladesh Employers Federation.
When asked about the workers’ proposal, Babul Akhter told Prothom Alo Sunday night, “Over the past few days, we have discussed the wage proposal with 12 alliances of labour leaders, 60 federations and leaders of trade unions active at factory level. We will submit an initial proposal tomorrow (9 November) and a detailed proposal later.”
Asked about the proposed minimum wage, he said it would be more than Tk 30,000.
Efforts to contact the owners’ representative ABM Shamsuddin were unsuccessful as he did not answer his phone.
BGMEA President Mahmud Hasan Khan told Prothom Alo, “We are not sure whether we will submit a proposal at the wage board meeting tomorrow (Monday). We have held meetings with the owners of factories that could not be reopened. As protests have eased compared with last week, owners want to resume factory operations.”
Worker protests in Gazipur and Savar
Most garment workers in Savar-Ashulia joined work peacefully on Sunday. However, workers at several factories reported for work in the morning but stopped working, demanding higher wages. The authorities declared 30 such factories closed.
Meanwhile, some workers took position on the Abdullahpur-Baipail road at around 10:30 am. Police later persuaded them to leave the road.
According to BGMEA sources, work remained suspended at several factories in Savar-Ashulia, including Ayesha Clothing, Reza Fashions, Fashion Plus, Envoy Fashions and Garments, Sterling Creation, Rose Dress, Bando Design, Sterling Apparels and Madler Apparels.
Mohammad Mominul Islam Bhuiyan, superintendent of police of the Ashulia Industrial Police-1, told Prothom Alo that workers had been working at factories in Savar and Ashulia, while workers at some factories had stopped work and remained inside. In total, the authorities declared 30 factories closed, he said.
In Gazipur, workers at most factories also joined work in the morning. However, workers at Muntex Fabrics of Mondol Group in Nayapara did not return to work after their lunch break. They had joined work in the morning but staged a protest in the afternoon, demanding higher wages.
At one point, workers of that factory urged the other workers from nearby factories to join their protest. Protests and exchange of brickbats took place at the time. Considering the situation, authorities announced a holiday in at least eight nearby factories, including Kaiser Knitwear, Tasnia Fabrics, Multifabs Limited and Islam Knitwear.
Upon receiving reports of the protest, members of the Industrial Police, local police and BGB arrived at the scene. They spoke with the workers and urged them to resume work or return home. However, the workers did not listen to their call and threw bricks at law enforcement personnel. Police then fired tear gas and sound grenades to disperse the workers.
Meanwhile, workers at a factory in the Chandra Palli Bidyut area of Kaliakair upazila staged a protest demanding higher wages. The authorities subsequently declared the factory closed for Sunday.
Workers at several factories in the Kashimpur area also staged protests. To keep the situation under control, the authorities declared several factories in the area closed.