Labour and Employment Secretary Md. Abdur Rahman Tarafder today (17 October) said that a wage board will be formed soon to determine new wages for the workers in the garment sector.
He said that the process of nominating representatives from both the workers and the employers for the wage board is underway.
Expressing the hope that a gazette notification could be published within this month, he said once the nominations are received from the respective parties, the Ministry will issue the gazette, following which the board will commence its operations.
The labour secretary made these remarks while talking to the state-run news agency, BSS.
He explained that the wage board will consist of a chairman, an independent member, a representative for the workers and a representative for the employers. Additionally, representatives specifically from the relevant industrial sector one from the workers and one from the employers will be included. In the case of the ready-made garment (RMG) industry, representatives from this specific sector will serve in the board.
The labour secretary noted that in determining wages for RMG workers, factors such as Bangladesh's overall economic situation, wage rates in neighboring countries and the ground-level realities within various factories will be taken into account.
The board will review these aspects before reaching a decision on wage levels; in other words, the Ministry will not unilaterally set the wage amount through administrative action, he added.
Abdur Rahman Tarafder further mentioned that the Department of Labour has already been instructed to initiate the formation of the wage board. The department has, in turn, requested both the workers' and employers' sides to nominate their respective representatives. Upon receiving these nominations, the Ministry will issue the official gazette.
Regarding the ongoing labour unrest, he said that the government maintains a positive stance toward the workers' demands and is engaged in regular dialogue with them. Labour leaders have also been kept informed about these developments.
The secretary added that the government has undertaken various initiatives to safeguard the workers' rights. Tripartite discussions involving representatives from the workers, employers and the government are going on now concerning the Labour Rules, with several meetings already held on the matter.
The labour secretary informed that a meeting of the National Tripartite Consultative Council (TCC) will be held on 27 October, chaired by the minister of Labour and Employment. The meeting will feature detailed discussions on the current labour situation including the formation of a wage board and the drafting of labour rules with participation from representatives of workers, employers and the relevant ministries.
He said, alongside addressing the demands of the workers, the government remains vigilant to ensure that no external vested interest groups can incite unrest in connection with the ongoing protests.