No progress in new wages for apparel workers

The new pay structure for Bangladesh's 4.0 million readymade garment workers saw no development on Sunday, as both representatives from apparel workers and manufacturers could not submit any wage proposal to the wage board.
However, in the second meeting on August 10 this year, the wage board asked both the parties to submit the proposals.
Without any proposal in hand, the board on Sunday discussed the members' visits to garment factories in different industrial zones -- Dhaka, Chattogram, and Sylhet -- and issues to be considered for a wage hike, said sources.
Worker representatives sought more time to submit their proposals, while the owners' representative informed the meeting that he could not discuss the issue with other respective owners due to his stay abroad.
Liaquet Ali Molla, chairman of the wage board, briefed reporters after the meeting held at his office in the city.
During the meeting, a number of RMG workers' organisations were demonstrating and chanting slogans demanding Tk 23,000 to Tk 25,000 as monthly minimum wages.
While talking to journalists after the meeting, Liaquet Ali Molla expressed hope that the wage proposals would be placed in the next meeting scheduled for late October.
By mid-November, the minimum wage for apparel workers will be finalised in consultation with the representatives of the board.
Responding to a question, owners' representative Md Siddiqur Rahman said the new hike would be finalised after consultation, and workers would get the new wage from January next year.
Workers' representative Sirajul Islam Rony, permanent board member of the Bangladesh Employers' Federation representative Moksud Belal Siddiqui, Jatiya Sramik League leader Sultan Ahmed and independent member Prof Md Kamal Uddin of Dhaka University also attended the meeting.
Garment Workers Alliance -- an alliance formed with the representation of different apparel trade unions -- handed over a proposal to the board chairman demanding Tk 23,000 as monthly minimum wages and several benefits.
It also demanded a 65 per cent basic payment, a 10 per cent annual increment instead of the existing 5 per cent and restructure the grade to five from the current seven.
Meanwhile, another alliance of RMG workers representing 11 smaller platforms, which also protested in front of the wage board office during the meeting, condemned the representatives for not making any pay hike proposals.
In a statement, it alleged that the owners' intention was to prolong the wage review process and deprive the workers.
It reiterated the demand for a minimum monthly wage of Tk 25,000 and also requested the abolishment of the fifth and sixth grades of the pay structure.
On April 9 this year, the government formed the wage board for the garment sector to review the minimum monthly wage. According to labour law, the board needs to finalise the wages within 6 months of its formation.
The current minimum monthly wage for an entry-level garment worker is Tk 8,000, which was fixed in 2018, up from Tk 5,300 set in 2013.

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