The fixed minimum salary for RMG laborers is Taka 12,500. This decision was made today at the Minimum Wage Board’s sixth meeting, which was called to raise RMG employees’ pay.
Subsequently, at a news conference held at the Bangladesh Secretariat, State Minister for Labor and Employment Monnujan Sufian declared the minimum wage for garment workers.
“We’re announcing this new wage in accordance with the Prime Minister’s instructions,” she stated. There will be a 56.25 percent increase in the minimum wage. It will rise by 5% year, from Taka 8,000 to Taka 12,500.”
The State Minister said that the new wage structure would be effective from next December.
She said as per the recommendations of the wage board, the minimum wage has been announced taking into account the suggestions of the owners and workers adding that the RMG workers have long been demanding for raise in their wages.
Monnujan also requested the owners to open up the factories and urged the workers to return to work, saying, “I will urge the owners to open the factories, I’ll also request the workers to join their work… The 5 percent increment remains in place.”
Earlier, in the meeting of the wage board held at Segunbagicha in the capital today, the owners proposed setting the minimum wage at Taka 12,500. The proposal was finalized with the consent of all parties.
The owners’ delegate at the meeting was Siddiqur Rahman, the previous president of BGMEA, while the workers’ representative was Sirajul Islam Roni.
The government approved higher wages for garment workers for a five-year period earlier in December 2018. As a result, the employees demanded that the higher wages be announced by November 30.
In order to set the minimum pay for garment workers, the government established the Minimum Wage Board in April of last year. The owners recommended a minimum wage of Taka 10,400 at the board’s fourth meeting on October 22, while the workers’ representative suggested a minimum compensation of Taka 20,393.
Currently the minimum wage for the RMG workers is Taka 8000. Garment workers have been protesting for the last 2 weeks demanding wage hike.
