Labour representatives propose Tk32,000 minimum wage for RMG workers

The workers’ side has proposed a monthly minimum wage of Tk32,000 and a maximum of Tk48,000 for ready-made garment (RMG) workers as part of the process to set a new wage structure for the sector.

Babul Akhter, the workers’ representative, submitted the proposal at the second meeting of the Minimum Wage Board at its office in Segunbagicha, Dhaka, at 1pm on Monday.

The meeting was chaired by Syed Azad Subhani, chairman of the board and a district and sessions judge.

The proposal recommends four wage grades, with monthly wages of Tk48,000 for grade 1, Tk43,000 for grade 2, Tk38,000 for grade 3 and Tk32,000 for grade 4 workers.

Under the proposed structure, grade 1 workers would receive a basic wage of Tk28,800, house rent of Tk14,400 and other allowances of Tk4,800. For grade 2, the proposed breakdown is Tk25,800 in basic pay, Tk12,900 in house rent and Tk4,300 in other allowances.

Grade 3 workers would receive Tk22,800 as basic pay, Tk11,400 in house rent and Tk3,800 in other allowances. For grade 4, the proposed amounts are Tk19,200 in basic pay, Tk9,600 in house rent and Tk3,200 in other allowances.

For apprentice workers, the workers’ side proposed a monthly wage of Tk30,000, comprising Tk18,000 in basic pay, Tk9,000 in house rent and Tk3,000 in other allowances.

The proposal sets the basic wage at 60 per cent of the total wage, while house rent would amount to 50 per cent of the basic wage.

Separately, the workers’ side submitted a wage proposal for employees of the garment industry, recommending a monthly maximum of Tk55,000 and a minimum of Tk40,000.

Speaking to journalists, Babul Akhter said the proposals had been prepared taking into account the country’s ongoing inflation and workers’ living standards. He said further discussions would now take place at the board.

Meanwhile, the employers’ side was scheduled to submit its minimum wage proposal at Monday’s meeting but failed to do so, board chairman Syed Azad Subhani told journalists.

He said employers had informed the board that they could not visit factories because of the ongoing unrest in the garment sector. They sought seven working days to submit their proposal, but the board unanimously granted them four working days.

The chairman said board members did not want to limit their discussions to meetings in the boardroom and also wanted to hear directly from workers. It was therefore decided that members would visit areas with a high concentration of garment factories to listen to workers.

ABM Shamsuddin, the employers’ representative and a director of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), said factory visits by owners had been delayed because of the prevailing situation.

He said the board had given the employers four working days to submit their proposal and they would meet the deadline.

Asif Ayub, joint secretary general of the Bangladesh Employers’ Federation, attended the meeting as an employers’ representative.

Anwar Hossain, president of Bangladesh Jatiyatabadi Sramik Dal, attended as a workers’ representative, while Mosleh Uddin Ahmed, a professor in the Department of Public Administration at Dhaka University, was present as a neutral member.