Wage board formed for RMG workers

The government has formed a six-member minimum wage board to determine a new pay structure for garment workers, Labour and Employment Minister Ariful Haque Chowdhury said on Sunday.

The minister made the announcement at a press conference at the Ministry of Labour and Employment around 11:30AM, saying the board would become effective immediately.

He said, the board was formed under the Labour Act, with Senior District Judge Sheikh Ashfakur Rahman appointed as its chairman.

The board will hold its first meeting as soon as possible and discuss the workers' minimum wage before making a decision, the minister said, expressing hope that workers would end their street protests and return to their respective workplaces.

Ariful Haque said, the ministry had held several meetings with workers and factory owners over the past three days. As Friday and Saturday were holidays, the ministry had clearly informed them that the wage board would be announced on Sunday.

Despite the assurance, workers took to the streets again on Sunday morning, he said, alleging that a vested quarter was deliberately using them to destabilise the government and create public suffering.

The minister said, the government had informed workers' representatives and factory owners about the planned announcement in advance, but protests resumed despite the assurance.

He further alleged that several political organizations were trying to create instability and claimed that an organizational secretary of a banned student organization had joined the protests posing as a garment worker. He said photographs of the individual had also circulated on social media.

Ariful Haque alleged that another group was attempting to exploit workers to achieve its own political interests, adding that such attempts would not succeed if the public remained alert.

Earlier, on Saturday (October 31), the minister announced the formation of the wage board after a meeting with representatives of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) and the Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA) at the Labour Bhaban in Bijoynagar.