RMG minimum wage to be set soon as Board meets: Home Minister

The government expects to declare the new minimum wage for readymade garment (RMG) workers within a specific timeframe following discussions with all relevant stakeholders, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed announced on Monday, November 2.

Speaking to journalists after a high-level meeting with leaders of garment manufacturer bodies BGMEA and BKMEA at the Secretariat, the Home Minister noted that following the formation of the new Wage Board on Sunday, its members are convening shortly to finalize the wage structure.

He emphasized that the Prime Minister instructed authorities to address workers' concerns sympathetically, ensuring that the updated structure reflects real economic conditions while uplifting worker living standards.

While promising an expedited wage resolution, the Home Minister warned that violent disruptions and highway blockades under the guise of labor protests will be suppressed with a firm hand.

"Some remnants of the fallen fascist regime are exploiting innocent workers to create instability by blockading roads and resorting to arson," Salahuddin Ahmed remarked. He revealed that the government has asked industry leaders to supply specific lists of factory owners who deliberately shut down operations, as well as labor organization figures suspected of inciting violence.

He stressed that law enforcement will take strict legal action against anyone attempting to undermine worker interests or destabilize the country.

Addressing political rumors surrounding the upcoming month of December, the Home Minister dismissed efforts by opposition groups to generate public anxiety, attributing the push to fugitive political operatives seeking to boost morale among supporters.

Salahuddin Ahmed assured that the government has formally requested neighboring India, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs under current extradition agreements, to return deposed leader Sheikh Hasina and her associates to face trial.

"If Sheikh Hasina and leaders of the banned Awami League return today, they will immediately be brought under the law and made to face justice," the minister asserted, adding that no conspiracy to provoke unrest in November, December, or any future date will be tolerated.

-SA