The IndustriALL Bangladesh Council has demanded a minimum monthly wage of $260 (Tk32,085 if US$1 is Tk123.41) for the readymade garment (RMG) workers, citing rising living costs.
The council, known as IBC, finalized the demand at an emergency meeting of its central executive committee on Saturday, it said in a press release.
IBC president Mir Abul Kalam Azad presided over the meeting with the present of other leaders.
IBC general secretary Salauddin Swapan said that the meeting discussed the soaring prices of essentials, rise in fuel oil prices and hike of the workers’ transport costs.
Moreover, medical and other living expenses had also increased, making it hard for workers to get by on current wages, he said.
The release added that the 100% to 142% pay rise for government employees had further destabilized the market, deepening the hardship of garment workers and other low-income people.
Taking these factors into account, the committee demanded the $260 minimum wage for garment workers.
IBC said it would soon finalize wage figures for the other grades.
Once a full wage board is formed, it would submit a written proposal to the board’s chairman and the workers’ representative.
The demand comes as the government moves to form a wage board for the sector amid renewed labour protests demanding a monthly minimum wage of Tk30,000.
The Department of Labour, under the Ministry of Labour and Employment, has asked garment manufacturers’ and workers’ organizations to nominate representatives for the proposed board.
The department sent separate letters to the Bangladesh Employers’ Federation and Jatiyatabadi Sramik Dal, asking each to nominate three representatives.
The minimum monthly wage for garment workers has risen in successive reviews, from Tk1,662.50 in 2006 to Tk3,000 in 2010, Tk5,300 in 2013, Tk8,000 in 2018, and Tk12,500 in 2023.
