Workers' representatives on Monday proposed raising the minimum monthly wage in the garment sector from Tk 12,500 to Tk 32,000, citing rising living costs.
Factory owners did not submit their counterproposal at the second meeting of the Minimum Wages Board in the capital. The board gave them four working days to do so and warned that it would proceed without their proposal if they missed the deadline.
The negotiations come amid protests by garment workers demanding a minimum wage of Tk 30,000. The demonstrations, which have continued for more than a week, have forced hundreds of factories to close, affecting production and raising concerns over exports.
Workers' representative Babul Akhter presented the proposal at the board's Segunbagicha office. He said a family of four needs Tk 45,000 to Tk 60,000 a month to cover essential expenses, including housing, healthcare and children's education. After the meeting, he said the workers' side had scaled back its demand after considering the condition of the industry.
Under the proposed structure, grade 4, the lowest grade, would receive Tk 32,000 a month. Wages for grades 3, 2 and 1 would be Tk 38,000, Tk 43,000 and Tk 48,000, respectively. The proposed wage for apprentice workers is Tk 30,000.
Employers' representative ABM Shamsuddin, a director of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association, said owners had been occupied with addressing labor unrest and could not finalize their proposal in time. He said they would submit it within the deadline and that the revised wage structure would take effect in December, regardless of when the employers submitted their proposal.
Minimum Wages Board Chairman Syed Azad Subhani said the owners had initially sought seven working days, citing difficulties visiting factories amid unrest in several industrial areas. He said the workers' proposal had been formally received, and the justification for the amount, wage grades and job classifications would be discussed the following week.
The government formed the wage board on November 1 amid protests for higher pay. The sector employs around 40 lakh people, according to Subhani. The current minimum wage of Tk 12,500 was fixed in 2023, up from Tk 8,000 in 2018. The 2023 revision also reduced the number of wage grades from five to four.
On Monday, Border Guard Bangladesh deployed 34 platoons in the industrial areas of Dhaka, Gazipur and Narayanganj to maintain law and order amid the protests.
