Workers propose Tk32,000 minimum monthly wage for garment workers

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The workers' representative on the minimum wage board has proposed raising the monthly minimum wage for entry-level garment workers to Tk32,000, a 156% increase from the existing Tk12,500.

The employers' representatives did not submit their proposal at the board's second meeting on Monday, requesting seven days to prepare it. The board instead gave them four days to submit their proposed wage structure.

Under the workers' proposal, the Tk32,000 monthly wage would comprise Tk19,200 in basic pay, Tk9,600 in house rent equivalent to 50% of basic salary and Tk3,200 in other allowances, including medical, transport and food benefits.

The proposal also seeks a monthly minimum wage of Tk30,000 for apprentice workers, including Tk18,000 in basic pay.

Workers' representative Babul Akhter disclosed the proposed figures at the meeting, chaired by Minimum Wage Board Chairman Syed Azad Subhani at the board's office in Dhaka.

The board includes independent member and Dhaka University professor Mosleh Uddin Ahmed, along with permanent representatives Asif Ayub for employers and Anwar Hossain for workers.

Ayub is the joint secretary of the Bangladesh Employers Federation, while Hossain is president of Bangladesh Jatiyatabadi Sramik Dal.

ABM Shamsuddin, a director of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) and chairman of Hannan Group, and Babul Akhter, general secretary of the Bangladesh Garment and Industrial Workers Federation, have been nominated as temporary members representing employers and workers, respectively.

The last minimum wage revision was announced in November 2023 and took effect in December that year, raising the monthly minimum wage for entry-level garment workers from Tk8,000 to Tk12,500.

Recent amendments to the labour law have shortened the wage revision cycle from five years to three.

The minimum monthly wage for garment workers was Tk1,662.50 in 2006. It was subsequently raised to Tk3,000 in 2010, Tk5,300 in 2013, Tk8,000 in 2018, and Tk12,500 in 2023.