RMG workers’ minimum wage board holds second meeting

The Minimum Wage Board is scheduled to hold its second meeting today to advance the process of setting a new minimum wage for workers in the country’s readymade garment (RMG) sector, the country’s leading export-earning industry. 

The meeting is scheduled to began at 11:00 AM at the board’s office in Segunbagicha of Dhaka.

According to relevant sources, the workers’ representatives will formally present their proposed wage structure to the board at the meeting. The proposal will then be examined and reviewed in detail. Discussions are expected to focus on making the proposed wages more realistic in line with workers’ current living costs, rising commodity prices and the overall condition of the industry.

The agenda also includes discussions on the wage structure proposed by the owners’ representatives. However, uncertainty remains over whether the owners will submit their proposal today, as it has yet to be finalised, sources said.

On Sunday, Babul Akhter, the workers’ representative on the Minimum Wage Board, said recommendations received from various labour organisations and stakeholders across the country were being closely reviewed to prepare a reasonable and timely wage structure.

Meanwhile, ABM Shamsuddin, the owners’ representative, said businesspeople had expressed serious concern over unrest in several industrial areas and production disruptions or shutdowns at some factories in recent times.

He said, preparations for Monday’s meeting had been completed, but the owners’ side would decide whether to formally submit its proposal based on the overall progress of discussions. Although the proposal could be submitted on Monday, the decision might be deferred depending on the situation, he indicated.

The first meeting of the six-member Minimum Wage Board, formed to revise wages for garment workers, was held on November 4. At that meeting, both the owners’ and workers’ representatives were asked to prepare their respective proposed wage structures and submit them at the next meeting. The board also stressed the need to avoid delays and ensure a speedy and transparent wage-setting process.

Earlier, on November 1, the government issued a gazette notification reconstituting the six-member Minimum Wage Board to formulate a new wage structure for RMG workers. The board, chaired by District and Sessions Judge Syed Azad Subhani, includes designated representatives of both the owners and workers, along with an independent member.

Workers and owners in the sector are now watching how the board proceeds following the presentation of the workers’ proposal at today’s second meeting.

-MT