Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) is scheduled to submit their proposal on minimum wage for garments workers to the wage board on Monday.
“We will submit the proposal to the chairman of the wage board,” Arshad Jamil Dipu, a member of the wage board committee of BGMEA told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday.
Leaders of the industry indicated that the proposal for the minimum wage would not be more than Tk5,000 per month as there is a pressure from the factory owners to keep it within Tk4,000. Earlier, a BGMEA leader had told Dhaka Tribune that the proposal would be of Tk4,500, which is 50% higher than the existing minimum wage of Tk3,000 per month.
“The minimum wage for the garment workers would not be more than Tk5,000,” said a senior BGMEA executive, wishing anonymity. The minimum wage should be practical and it should not cross the limit of Tk5,000, he said, quoting a leader of IndustriAll, a global trade union.
“Most of the factory owners want to fix minimum wage at Tk4000,” said BGMEA Vice President Reaz Bin Mahmood. The committee formed to set minimum wage will propose the structure based on the current situation including inflation, price index and cost of doing business. He said the BGMEA will hold views exchange meeting with garment owners in Chittagong and Dhaka on September 10 and 12 respectively, seeking their opinion on minimum wage for workers.
Earlier, the leaders of garments workers placed their proposals to the chairman of minimum wage board, formed to fix a fresh minimum wage level for garment workers, proposing a minimum of Tk8, 114 as monthly wages for the workers.
