2nd meeting ends without decision

The second meeting of the board set up to revise the minimum wage for more than four million garment workers in Bangladesh ended yesterday without any specific decision.

Held at the office of the Minimum Wage Board in Dhaka, the meeting discussed various global and domestic issues, the current situation in the apparel sector, the market prices of basic commodities, and the rates of garment items in the international markets.

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No proposal was put forward either by the owners or workers' representative in the meeting since the board has decided to visit three factories, small, medium and large, to hear about workers' expectation about the salary.

"I hope to submit the wage proposal in the next meeting to be held next month," said Sirajul Islam Rony, president of the Bangladesh National Garment Workers Employees League. He represents workers on the new board.

Rony also said workers' views are important before placing any formal proposal. "The views and opinions of other trade unions will also be considered."

Workers' basic salary, house rent, service benefits, various allowances, workers' pension benefits, and food intake will be taken into account in framing the monthly wage structure, Rony told The Daily Star over the phone.

A majority of the unions in the garment sector have demanded a minimum monthly wage of Tk 23,000.

Md Siddiqur Rahman, owners' representative on the board, said both workers' representative and owners' representative are expected to place their proposal in the next meeting.

He said the board is taking more time as it is observing the market situation of the apparel sector since it has been facing a severe fallout stemming from the dragging impact of Covid-19 and the lingering Russia-Ukraine war.

The entrepreneur said the main markets of garment items manufactured in Bangladesh are going through high inflationary pressure driven by the global energy crisis.

"But if the business situation improves a bit, a good hike in the salary might be possible."

In April, the government formed the board, which is headed by Liaquet Ali Molla. And it came because workers have been passing through a difficult time owing to higher consumer prices for the past one year.

The current minimum wage for a garment worker is Tk 8,000 per month, which came into effect in December 2018.

The board has until December this year to announce a new wage structure.