A new wage structure for garment workers will be finalised by December, with all parties agreeing to make it effective from 1 December, said Minimum Wage Board Chairman Syed Azad Subhani.
The first meeting of the new wage board for the workers was held on Wednesday amid ongoing labour unrest in the ready-made garment (RMG) sector.
Speaking to journalists after the meeting, the board Chairman Subhani said workers will receive the increased amount along with their January salaries once the new payment structure is implemented.
On 1 November, the government formed a six-member Minimum Wage Board to revise wages in the garment sector. Labour and Employment Minister Ariful Haque Chowdhury announced the wage board at a press conference at the Secretariat that morning.
Initially, Senior District and Sessions Judge Sheikh Ashfakur Rahman was appointed chairman of the wage board. However, a notification issued by the Law and Justice Division under the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs on Wednesday transferred him to the post of Director (Training) at the Judicial Administration Training Institute.
Under the same order, District and Sessions Judge Subhani was appointed as the new chairman of the board. The notification, however, did not mention any reason for Ashfakur’s removal.
Dhaka University Professor Mosleh Uddin Ahmed serves as the board’s neutral member. The board will recommend minimum wage rates for the workers in all categories. Based on its recommendations, the government will announce and publish the new wage structure through a gazette notification.
