RMG workers to get increased wages from January

Garment workers in Bangladesh will receive increased wages from January next year, with the new minimum wage for the readymade garment (RMG) sector expected to be finalised by December.

Both garment factory owners and workers’ representatives have agreed to finalise the new wage structure within December and implement it from January, with workers receiving the increased amount along with their December salaries.

The decision was announced at a press conference on Wednesday following the first meeting of the newly formed Minimum Wage Board at its office in Segunbagicha, Dhaka.

The meeting began at 11:00am and was chaired by board chairman and Senior District Judge Sheikh Ashfakur Rahman.

The meeting discussed the process of determining the new minimum wage for workers and employees in the garment sector. Representatives of both employers and workers reached a consensus on finalising the wage structure by December and implementing it from January.

The government reconstituted the Minimum Wage Board and formed a separate wage board for the garment sector on November 1 amid growing labour unrest over demands for higher wages.

Meanwhile, garment workers have been staging demonstrations in Dhaka and several other areas for days, demanding a minimum monthly wage of Tk 30,000.

Clashes between workers and police were reported in several areas of Dhaka and Gazipur on Wednesday as workers blocked roads during their protests.