Members of Bangladesh's minimum wage board said the new pay structure for readymade garment workers will take effect on December 1, with workers receiving their first payments at the new rate in January, according to BBC.
The announcement came on Wednesday after the first meeting of the eighth minimum wage board for the garment industry, held at the board's office in Segunbagicha. Representatives of both the employers and the workers briefed journalists once the session ended.
Why it matters
The garment sector is central to Bangladesh's export economy, and pay levels for its workers have been a recurring source of friction. The government formed the six-member board on November 1, following unrest in several industrial areas over demands for higher wages. The board's work now carries the weight of settling those demands through a formal process rather than on the factory floor.
Both sides say they agree on the timeline
Babul Akhtar, a workers' representative on the board and general secretary of the Bangladesh Garment and Industrial Workers Federation, said the two sides had reached agreement that the new wages would apply from December 1 and that workers would be paid accordingly in January, together with their December pay. He said there was no disagreement between the parties on this point.
A B M Shamsuddin, an employers' representative and a director of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), also confirmed the shared understanding that the process of setting the new wages would be completed within December.
The workers' side is due to submit its written proposal at the next meeting. Akhtar urged all workers' organisations to unite behind a single, reasonable wage proposal and present it to the board.
Board chairman points to compressed timeline
Syed Azad Subhani, who chairs the minimum wage board, presided over the meeting. He noted that setting a minimum wage for an industrial sector usually carries a six-month timeframe, but that the current government had formed the board as quickly as possible. He expressed hope that the board would be able to prepare and submit its recommendations to the government within the set period.
Beyond pay, worker representatives raised a range of other grievances at the session, including enforcement of labour law, trade union rights, and the guarantee of leave and other benefits. They drew the government's attention to these issues and asked for them to be addressed in stages.
Akhtar also called on the authorities not to take harassing measures against labour leaders, to release arrested workers and labour leaders, and to refrain from any form of mistreatment of them.
The next step is the submission of the workers' written wage proposal at a forthcoming board meeting, after which the board is expected to move toward finalising its recommendation to the government.
