Representatives from readymade garment manufacturer and worker at the minimum wage board on Sunday submitted their proposals for a new minimum wage for the country's apparel industry, with a gap of nearly Tk 10,000 between the two sides.
Workers' representative Sirajul Islam Rony proposed Tk 20,393 as the minimum monthly wage, with more than 61 per cent of it as basic pay.
Factory owners' representative Siddiqur Rahman, on the other hand, proposed Tk 10,400 as the minimum monthly wage, with 51.25 per cent of it as basic pay.
The present minimum monthly wage for garment workers at grade seven is Tk 8,000, which was fixed in 2018.
The representatives made the proposals at the fourth meeting of the board held at its office in Dhaka. Liaquet Ali Mollah, chairman of the board, presided over the meeting while its other members were also present.
The board said it will held the next meeting on November 1, as the new wage structure will come into effect from December this year.
However, different labour rights groups rejected both the proposals and reiterated their demands ranging from Tk 23,000 to Tk 25,000 as the minimum monthly wage.
In his 13-point demand charter, workers' representative Mr Rony proposed abolishing the sixth and seventh grades and demanded Tk 12,462 as basic pay for the proposed new minimum monthly wage of Tk 20,393 for junior operators at grade five.
In contrast, owners' representative Mr Rahman proposed abolishing the top two grades -- one and two, saying that the number of workers in these two grades is low and their real wages are higher than the minimum wages.
He proposed Tk 10,400 as the monthly minimum wage for grade seven workers with Tk 5,330 as basic pay.
Factory owners' proposal included Tk 2,665 as house rent, Tk 750 medical allowance, Tk 455 transportation and Tk 1200 as food allowance. Workers' representative proposed 50 per cent of the basic or Tk 6,231 as house rent, Tk 500 medical, Tk 300 transportation and Tk 900 food allowances.
The current monthly minimum wage of Tk 8,000 included Tk 4,100 basic pay, Tk 2,050 house rent, Tk 600 medical allowance, Tk 350 transport allowance and Tk 900 food allowance.
While speaking after the meeting, Mr Rony said he made a "logical" proposal taking into consideration a worker's food requirement, inflation and the industry's current situation.
"And a worker couldn't lead his or her livelihood below Tk 20,393," he added.
Acknowledging the huge gap between the two wage proposals, Mr Rahman said they would discuss with factory owners to further increase the amount while requesting workers' representatives to lower their proposed wage.
He argued that they were yet to overcome the pandemic fallout fully and that the Russia-Ukraine war had put a negative impact on RMG exports.
Workers' proposals included a 10 per cent annual increment from the existing five per cent, a minimum 10 per cent gap between the minimum wages of grades, a three-month apprenticeship period, six months maternity leave with wages benefit and introducing gratuity benefit.
Mr Rony also proposed festival allowance not lower than the monthly basic pay.
Both the owners' and workers' proposals included introducing food rationing for garment workers and government measures to control house rent at labour-intensive industrial zones.
On Sunday, labour leaders from different trade bodies in the garment sector chanted slogans outside the board office, rejecting both the workers' and owners' proposals as they demand Tk 23,000 to Tk 25,000 as minimum monthly wages.
The Industriall Bangladesh Council, Green Bangla Garments Workers Federation and Bangladesh Garment Workers' Solidarity rejected both the proposals in separate statements, terming the owners' proposal a "joke".
The Bangladesh Garment Workers' Solidarity threatened massive labour protests to realise their demand of Tk 25,000 and said they would announce their next move after the Durga Puja festival on October 26.
munni_fe@yahoo.com