Wage board to meet soon, workers' representative hopes for a final wage by December as Savar-Ashulia workers return to work

The first meeting of the newly formed six-member wage board for the garment industry will be held soon. Babul Akhtar, the workers' representative on the board, has expressed hope that the new wage structure can be finalised by December. Meanwhile, following the board's formation, workers have been seen returning to work at factories in Savar and Ashulia.

After a meeting at the Secretariat on Monday (November 2) with representatives of garment owners and workers' organisations, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed said the new wage would be set considering both improvements in workers' living standards and the industry's capacity. He said the prime minister has directed that the decision be both worker-friendly and industry-friendly.

The home minister said the government would take all kinds of steps to protect workers' welfare and livelihoods alongside export growth and economic prosperity. The government is working so that no factory remains closed and no worker is left jobless, he said.

Reconstituting the minimum wage board was one of the workers' main demands. In response, the Ministry of Labour and Employment issued a gazette notification on Sunday forming the six-member board. Senior District and Sessions Judge Sheikh Ashfaqur Rahman has been made its chairman.

The other members are BGMEA director A B M Shamsuddin for the owners, Bangladesh Garments and Industrial Workers Federation general secretary Babul Akhtar for the workers, Bangladesh Employers' Federation joint secretary general Asif Ayub, and independent members Mosleh Uddin Ahmed and Anwar Hossain.

The board will recommend minimum wages for workers in the various grades of the garment industry, and on the basis of that recommendation the government will fix the new wage structure and issue a gazette. The home minister said the board was formed quickly after names were received from the workers' representatives, and the new wage would be announced within the set time.

The home minister said the wage board is the proper place to raise workers' legitimate demands, and that demands should be pursued through discussion rather than by stopping production, blocking roads or confrontation.

Babul Akhtar, the workers' representative on the new board, said reconstituting the wage board had been a long-standing demand; with the board formed quickly, workers' representatives will now be able to place their proposals. Workers have put forward various figures for the new wage — some demand 27,000 taka, some 30,000, some 32,000 and some 37,000 taka as the minimum. A combined proposal will be prepared after discussions with workers' organisations, factory-based trade unions and ordinary workers, he said.

Babul Akhtar added that the representatives will press strongly in the board for a fair wage, but the effort to win demands must keep production running. He called on workers to return to work, saying protest programmes could be announced later if necessary, and expressed hope the revised wage structure could take effect from January. Kutubuddin Ahmed, president of the Bangladesh Garments, Textile and Leather Workers Federation, has proposed a monthly minimum wage of 260 US dollars.

The government's move to form the wage board has brought a positive change in the Savar-Ashulia industrial belt. On Monday, workers were seen entering factories peacefully and joining work. At a press conference at the Sramik Bhaban in Bijoy Nagar, Babul Akhtar urged workers to return to factories and keep production normal. Nazma Akhtar, president of the Sammilito Garments Sramik Federation, also called on workers to return, calling the wage board initiative timely, and demanded that those involved in attacks, vandalism and sabotage at industrial establishments be brought under the law. Taslima Akhtar, president of Bangladesh Garment Sramik Sanghati, said reviewing wages every three years could play an important role in protecting workers' purchasing power. Anwar Hossain, president of the Bangladesh Jatiyatabadi Sramik Dal, said that in the current situation it is workers' employment, rather than the fulfilment of their expectations, that is being put at risk.

Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed alleged that outsiders were involved in the violence and disorder during the recent labour unrest. He said some opportunists had entered the workers' movement and were trying to destabilise the situation for political purposes. He claimed that road and highway blockades, arson and factory vandalism have no connection with the genuine demands of real workers. Video footage and other evidence have been collected to identify those involved, and several people have already been brought under the law, he said. He also assured that if any innocent worker or workers' leader has been arrested, their case would be considered specially, and that treatment would be arranged for the injured.

A focal point has been designated by the home ministry to monitor the situation in the industrial areas. Instructions have also been given for information exchange through the Surokkha app and for setting up a control room at police headquarters, through which the situation will be monitored around the clock.

On Monday morning, the home minister met leaders of the BGMEA and BKMEA, and later held discussions with representatives of workers' organisations. Labour and Employment Minister Ariful Haque Chowdhury, prime minister's adviser Mahdi Amin, and MP and workers' leader Shimul Biswas, along with representatives of various workers' organisations, were present at the meetings.