Govt issues gazette forming minimum wage board

The government has appointed representatives from both factory owners and workers to fix the minimum wage for the ready-made garment (RMG) sector, according to separate notifications issued by the Ministry of Labour and Employment.

Signed by Deputy Secretary Md. Mahbur Rahman from the Ministry's Wage Board branch, the notifications were issued under the powers granted by Section 138 of the Bangladesh Labour Act, 2006.

Under Sub-sections 3(a) and 3(b) of Section 138, ABM Shamsuddin, Director of the Bangladesh Garments Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), was appointed as the owners' representative. Babul Akhter, General Secretary of the Bangladesh Garment and Industrial Workers Federation (BGIWF), was appointed as the workers' representative.

Additionally, under Sub-sections (2) and (4) of Section 138, the ministry appointed an independent member along with general representatives for employers and workers to the Minimum Wage Board.

Professor Dr. Mosleh Uddin Ahmed of Dhaka University's Public Administration Department was appointed as the independent member. Asif Ayub, Joint Secretary-General of the Bangladesh Employers' Federation, was named the employers' representative, while Anwar Hossain, President of the Bangladesh Jatiyatabadi Sramik Dal, was appointed as the workers' representative.

While the appointments aim to ensure balanced representation from all stakeholders, the notifications did not detail the immediate operational timeline or next steps for determining the new wage structure.

-SA