Five alliances representing 55 registered garment worker federations have proposed a monthly minimum wage of Tk32,131 for ready-made garment (RMG) workers, alongside structural reforms including a 60% basic pay and a 15% annual increment.
The formal demands were submitted to the Minimum Wage Board through a memorandum on Monday ahead of the board’s second meeting at its Segunbagicha office in the capital.
The meeting, attended by all board members, commenced at 12pm.
Key demands and structure: According to the proposal put forward by the worker alliances, the new wage structure should incorporate 12 key criteria, including the cost of living, government pay scales, and comparative wage frameworks in regional competitors such as Pakistan, India, Vietnam, and Cambodia.
The core proposals include, basic pay: Recommending 60% of the total wage as basic pay—modeled on the 2006 wage structure—to ensure that workers do not suffer financial losses in overtime remuneration and service benefits upon retirement.
House rent: Setting house rent at 50% of the total wage.
Annual increment: Introducing a 15% annual increment to counter inflation and soaring commodity prices.
Worker representatives said out of Bangladesh’s total workforce of approximately 75 million, nearly four million workers are employed in the RMG sector.
They stressed that a realistic and neutral wage structure is essential to protect the livelihood, purchasing power, and economic security of this vast labor force.
The alliances also indicated that additional specific proposals concerning dyeing and knit sector workers will be incorporated following Monday's discussions.
Meanwhile, separate demonstrations took place outside the Minimum Wage Board office during the meeting.
Activists and leaders of the Garment Sramik Front staged a protest demanding that the minimum wage be fixed at Tk37,000.
The government reconstituted the Minimum Wage Board on November 1 through a gazette notification amid labour unrest.
The newly formed board held its first meeting on November 4, announcing that the revised wage structure will take effect in December, with garment workers set to receive their increased salaries from January 2027.
Earlier, BGMEA leaders called for an early announcement of the wage revision timeline to reassure workers and maintain stability in the sector.