New Wage Effective From December, Garment Workers to Receive It in January: Agreement at Wage Board Meeting

Representatives of owners and workers have agreed that the new minimum wage structure for workers in the ready-made garment sector will be treated as effective from December. However, workers will receive the increased wage in hand in January of the following year.

The two sides reached the understanding on the implementation timeline at the first formal meeting held on Wednesday (November 4) at the office of the Minimum Wage Board in Segunbagicha in the capital.

The meeting was organised as part of the process of re-determining the minimum wage for the garment sector, and the first formal sitting of that process produced consensus on when the new structure will take effect.

After the meeting, workers' representative Babul Akter said, 'The new wage will be effective from December and the workers will get it from January.'

Owners' representative A B M Shamsuddin confirmed the same decision. He said the new wage structure will be made effective from December and workers will be paid at the new rate in January next year.

Under the understanding, wages for the month of December will be calculated according to the new structure, and that pay will reach the workers in January.