Bangladesh garment worker wage board finalises salary ignoring objections

Bangladesh’s minimum wage board, formed to review the wages for readymade garment (RMG) workers, has finalised its proposal setting Tk 8,000 ($95 approx) as minimum monthly wage ignoring all objections of the trade union federations and factory owners. The wage might not change and would be applicable from December this year, state minister for labour Md Mujibul Haque said.

The gazette notification recommending the wage for the lowest-grade workers was published on October 8, seeking written objections and recommendations within 14 days.

Trade union federations had submitted more than 12 letters to the board and factory owners individually submitted more than 300 applications, according to a Bangladesh newspaper report. But the board ignored all those and stuck to its decision.

IndustriALL Bangladesh council secretary general Salauddin Swapan termed that unfortunate.