Leaders of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) and the Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA) accepted the government-proposed minimum wage of Tk5,300 for the garments workers last night.
Abdus Salam Murshedi, former president of the BGMEA, told the Dhaka Tribune that they have agreed to the proposed Tk5,300 minimum wage at Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s request, which was made during a meeting with BGMEA and BKMEA leaders at the premier’s official residence Ganabhaban.
Murshedi also said a meeting between BGMEA and BKMEA leaders and Labour Minister Rajiuddin Ahmed Raju was supposed to be held at the ministry today (Thursday) afternoon.
BGMEA Vice President Reaz-Bin-Mahmood said, honouring the premier's request, they have also decided to keep all factories in Ashulia and Savar open on Thursday, despite the factory owners having decided earlier to keep the factories closed for the day in the Ashulia zone, home to 257 factories.
Sirajul Islam Roni, who represented the workers at the wage board and was also the president of the Bangladesh National Garment Sramik Karmochari League, welcomed the decision by the BGMEA and BKMEA leaders and the factory owners for accepting the new wage scale.
He urged the factory owners to implement the new wage scale from November, while also calling on the workers, who had been carrying out a movement demanding a minimum wage of Tk8,114, to accept the new wage scale and refrain from violence and agitation.
However, another workers’ leader Moshrefa Mishu, president of Garments Workers Unity Front, said they would request the factory owners to increase the basic salary for the workers as they had been carrying out movement demanding Tk8,114 as the minimum wage.
On November 4, the new wage board chaired by AK Roy finalised the minimum wage at Tk5,300.
But both the owners and the workers rejected the proposed scale, with the owners demanding Tk4,250 minimum wages and the workers calling for the minimum wage of Tk8,114.