Govt working on new wage board for RMG workers

Move comes ahead of Dec pay review

The government is forming a new wage board within two to three days to recommend a revised pay structure for garment workers, amid demonstrations demanding higher wages.

“The process is ongoing,” said a senior official of the Labour and Employment Ministry, requesting anonymity.

Fazlee Shamim Ehsan, president of the Bangladesh Employers’ Federation, said the labour ministry had sent him a letter yesterday seeking his opinion and a nomination for a representative on the proposed wage board.

Mahmud Hasan Khan, president of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), told The Daily Star that the association had no objection to forming a new wage board for garment workers.

He said the BGMEA had not yet received a letter from the ministry, but one could arrive within two to three days as discussions continued.

Garment workers have been demonstrating in various industrial areas, demanding higher wages as rising prices of essential commodities drive up living costs.

The current minimum wage came into effect in December 2023, when garment factory owners raised the minimum monthly salary from Tk 8,000 to Tk 12,500.

The wage structure is due for review this December, as the amended labour law requires wages across different sectors to be reviewed every three years to adjust for inflation.

A six-member wage board is usually formed, with representation from the government, trade unions and factory owners, along with an economist and an independent representative, to recommend minimum wages across different grades.

Md Towhidur Rahman, president of the Bangladesh Apparels Workers Federation, said the new wage board could be announced next week.

He urged the government to form the board without delay, warning that labour unrest could spread across industrial areas.

Trade union leaders would submit proposals for wage increases once the board is formed, he said.