Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has set Tk 12,500 as the minimum monthly salary for RMG workers raising it from Tk 8,000. The new wage structure will be effective from December 1.
State Minister for Labour and Employment Begum Monnujan Sufian announced the decision on Tuesday at the secretariat office in Dhaka.
She said, “Our prime minister made the decision verbally, and I ask everyone to follow this.”
“Workers demanded rationing for them, and the government has planned to start this. Prime minister decided to issue family cards for the RMG workers to ease their livelihood,” Monnujan said.
In the sixth meeting of the wages board on Tuesday, the RMG owners’ representative proposed Tk 12,500 as the minimum monthly salary, but the workers’ representative denied this. Amid the situation, the board sent the proposal to the PM for review.
Besides, the minimum wages board for the RMG sector increased basic to 63 per cent, and reduced designation grades from 7 to 5. In addition, a 5 per cent annual increment also continues as per the labour law.
However, wages structure of the rest of the four grades is yet to be set, and the minimum wage board for the RMG workers will hold another meeting to finalise it.
Trade unions rejected the proposal saying that the amount is not sufficient to survive considering the ongoing high inflation, and announced to continue protest to meet their demand.
They also blamed the workers’ representative of the board Shirajul Islam Rony saying that he is not their nominated member. He served owners’ agenda.
“He is a member of the Sramik League, and we opposed his appointment to the board. He failed to fulfil workers demand,” Bangladesh Garment Workers Trade Union Centre Vice President Joly Talukder told The Business Post adding that they will hold a rally on Friday to meet their demand.
The government increased RMG workers’ wages by 76 per cent to Tk 5,300 in 2013 and by 51 per cent to Tk 8,000 in 2018.
To review the wages structure, the government formed a six-member new wages board on April 9, headed by Senior District Judge Liaquat Ali Molla. On October 22, the owners’ representative of the board proposed Tk 10,400 as the minimum salary while the workers’ representatives demanded Tk 20,493, though trade unions demanded Tk 23,000-25,000.
After the owners’ proposal, workers launched a violent protest and staged demonstrations in Savar and Gazipur.
These demonstrations forced owners to shut factories down to save their establishments and workers' lives, as protests killed at least two and injured several hundred. A good number of factories were also vandalised and torched.
When journalists asked workers’ representative Shirajul Islam Rony whether he is happy on the proposal, he hesitated to reply.
The owners’ representative of the board Siddiqur Rahman and Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) former president Shofiul Islam Mohiuddin were forcing him to reply yes.
“Tell, I am happy for the amount. If you are not happy why you come here,” Shafiul forced Rony in the presence of Monnujan Sufian, other board members and the media. Than Rony replied, “I argued for more. But as the PM has decided the figure and considering everything, I accepted the proposal.”
He further told the reporter that he urged the board for Tk 13,000 as the minimum monthly salary, but the owners’ representative did not consider this.
When asked about the case filed against workers during the ongoing protest, and will workers be eligible for salary during the protest as BGMEA threatened to exercise the ‘no work no pay’ method, Shafiul and BGMEA President Faruque Hassan said that they would consider this if workers join the work.
“It depends on workers behaviour. If they will not join the workplace, and vandalise our factories again, should we pay them?” Faruque questioned.
