Stirred by global criticism over pay and working conditions of readymade garment (RMG) workers, Bangladesh Government has constituted a wage board to increase the minimum wages of these workers, Textiles Minister Abdul Latif Siddiqui has announced.
The wage board shall retrospectively come into effect from May 1, 2013, Mr. Siddiqui said while speaking to media on sidelines of a meeting of Parliamentary Standing Committee on Ministry of Textile with representatives of export-oriented garment industry and other concerned ministries. It may take two to three months for the new board to submit its recommendations on new wage structure after deliberations with the industry stakeholders, the Minister said.
The Government decided to set up a committee for reviving minimum wages, following a call by a high-profile delegation of International Labour Organization to immediately act to improve the labour standards and work conditions at garment factories. The earlier wage board constituted on July 27, 2010, hiked the minimum wage from the then existing Tk 1,662.50 per month to Tk 3,000 per month, which however, was less than the workers’ demand of Tk 5,000.
The attendees at the meeting included Home Minister Muhiuddin Khan Alamgir, Shipping Minister Shajahan Khan and Labour and Employment Minister Rajiuddin Ahmed Raju.
In addition, representatives of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA), Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) and other business organizations also remained present at the meet.
