IBC demands immediate wage board formation for RMG workers

The IndustriALL Bangladesh Council (IBC) has called for the immediate formation of a wage board to revise the minimum wage for workers in the ready-made garment (RMG) sector amid rising inflation and the increasing cost of living.

The demand was made in a letter sent to Labour and Employment Minister Ariful Haque Chowdhury on Tuesday. The letter was signed by IBC President Qutub Uddin Ahmed and General Secretary Babul Akhter.

The letter said the prices of food, house rent, healthcare, education, transport and other essential goods and services have risen steadily in recent years, significantly eroding the real income and purchasing power of garment workers.

Meeting the basic needs of a worker’s family with the existing minimum wage has become increasingly difficult, it said, stressing that ensuring timely and fair wages for workers has now become an urgent necessity.

According to the IBC, the Bangladesh Labour (Amendment) Act, 2023 provides for the revision of workers’ minimum wages every three years. The provision was introduced to ensure regular wage reviews in line with inflation, the cost of living, productivity and the overall economic situation of the country.

The organisation said the wage board should therefore be reconstituted now so that the next wage revision process can be completed on time.

The letter also noted that the RMG industry is the country’s main source of export earnings and one of the key pillars of the economy. Ensuring fair wages in line with the cost of living is essential to sustaining the sector’s growth, productivity, industrial stability and competitiveness in international markets.

The IBC said fair wages would contribute to greater stability in workplaces, help retain skilled workers and strengthen the long-term competitiveness of the garment industry.

The organisation said the IBC comprises 19 national federations affiliated with the global trade union IndustriALL Global Union. Of these, 16 federations directly represent workers in the garment sector and work to protect workers’ rights, ensure fair wages, improve workplace safety and strengthen trade union rights.

The IBC urged the government to immediately reconstitute the wage board and initiate the necessary process to revise the minimum wage for RMG workers, taking into account the current economic situation, rising living costs and provisions of the labour law.

According to the organisation, the move would not only ensure workers’ legitimate rights but also strengthen the sustainable development, social stability and international credibility of the country’s most important export-oriented industry.