Home ›› 11 Apr 2023 ›› Front
The government has formed a minimum wage board to review the wages of readymade garment (RMG) workers by appointing owners’ and workers’ representatives to the board.
The labour ministry on Monday published a gazette notification signed by its Deputy Secretary Farzana Sultana in this regard. The new board will recommend the minimum monthly salary for RMG workers.
According to the gazette, Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) former president Md Siddiqur Rahman will be on the board to represent factory owners while Bangladesh National Garments Employees League President Sirajul Islam Rony will represent workers.
Rony told The Business Post, “We will recommend the salary structure in the new wage board considering the current local and international aspects.”
“We will also try to ensure that brands will pay fair prices for products,” he added.
The government took the initiative to review the minimum monthly wage of RMG workers and employees after five years. The previous wage board was formed in 2018. In 2018, the minimum wage board set Tk 8,000 as the minimum monthly wage in the RMG sector with Tk 4,100 as basic pay, Tk 2,050 as house rent, Tk 600 as medical allowance, Tk 350 as transport allowance, and Tk 900 as food allowance.
RMG workers across the country and labour rights groups have staged demonstrations for more than a year demanding pay hikes for workers considering the growing living cost in the country. The RMG sector trade unions and rights bodies have demanded Tk 23,000 as minimum monthly pay for garment workers.
