Owners for 20pc wage hike for RMG workers

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FE Report Owners of garment factories gave on Thursday their opinion in favour of a 20 per cent wage hike for their workers, taking the two-year rate of inflation into consideration. The opinion came at a views-exchange meeting held at the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) headquarters in the city. The BGMEA called the meeting to take its members' opinion regarding hike in wages of the readymade garment (RMG) workers while its President Atiqul Islam, former Presidents Shafiul Islam Mohiuddin, Abdus Salam Murshedy and Annisul Huq, among others, were present. The Wage Board asked the owners' representatives on August 18 to place their proposal on September 02. The Board extended time for submission of their proposals and called for placing those in the next meeting to be held on September 17. Earlier, Arshad Jamal Dipu, who is representing the owners' side, said they want to consider inflation rate of last two years to propose the wage hike and sought the owners' opinion. "The inflation rate increased by 19 per cent during the last two years after the last Wage Board's declaration," he said adding they are considering the socio-economic scenario of the country and capability of the industry. The owners at the meeting said buyers often offer 'unethical prices' for apparel products while they always force garment exporters to follow different ethical standards especially in safety related issues. Keeping this in view, they also urged the BGMEA to enhance their negotiation capacity with the buyers. The RMG factory owners said most of the factories are in the small and medium categories and they cannot afford to hike wage more than 20 per cent.