RMG new wage structure set to be finalised today
RMG
The Minimum Wage Board is likely to finalise the new wage structure for the readymade garment sector today amid calls for revision from several rights groups at home and abroad.
The Wage Board will convene its seventh meeting today to finalise the wage structure based on the published gazette, officials concerned said.
On November 11, the Ministry of Labour and Employment issued a gazette notification announcing Tk12,500 as minimum monthly wage for the apparel industry.
It also sought opinions, objections or recommendations from stakeholders or individuals, if any, within 14 days of publication of the gazette notification. The timeframe ended on Friday.
Local right groups demanded that the minimum wage be raised to Tk23, 000 and some factory owners want the amount be cut to Tk10,400.
Both parties sent letters to the Minimum Wage Board. Until Friday, the Wage Board received more than 200 letters, of them 168 letters from garment factory owners, 30 from trade union federations and one each from Transparency International Bangladesh and Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust.
BGMEA President Faruque Hassan told The Business Standard, "We are committed to paying our workers as per the new wage structure, despite challenges in the apparel business."
He further said, "We hope all brands and buyers will increase their product prices to adjust additional cost."
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