The annual wage increase or increment for workers in the ready-made garment industry will be 9 percent. The matter has been finalized after long negotiations between the owners and the workers. Until the minimum wage is re-determined, the garment workers will get an additional 4 percent, that is, 9 percent increment, in addition to the regular 5 percent. This will be effective from this December. As a result, the 9 percent increment will be added to the January wage of the workers.
This decision was made at the fifth meeting of the committee formed by the Ministry of Labor on minimum wage revaluation and annual wage increase. The meeting, held under the chairmanship of Additional Secretary Md. Sabur Hossain on Monday (December 9) in the meeting room of the Ministry of Labor at the Secretariat, was attended by six representatives of the owners and workers and four representatives of the government.
It is learned that at one stage in today’s meeting, the representatives of the workers demanded a 10 percent increment. However, the owners wanted to give 8 percent. Later, the decision of a 9 percent increment was finalized with the consent of all. Representatives of the owners, workers and the government signed a joint declaration in this regard.
The meeting was attended by Fazle Shamim Ehsan, executive president of the knitwear industry owners’ association BKMEA; ANM Saifuddin, member of the supporting committee of the readymade garment industry owners’ association BGMEA; and Faruk Ahmed, secretary general of the Bangladesh Employers Federation; Mohammad Khorshed Alam, youth affairs secretary of the central committee of the Nationalist Workers’ Party; Babul Akhtar, general secretary of the Bangladesh Garments and Industrial Workers Federation; and Kabir Ahmed, central vice-president of the Bangladesh Workers’ Welfare Federation; SM Emadur Haque, director of the Department of Labor; Raisa Afroz, secretary of the Minimum Wage Board; Md. Hasibuzzaman, joint director of the Department of Factory and Establishment Inspection; and Mohammad Masudur Rahman Sikder, joint secretary of the Ministry of Labor.
In the fourth meeting of the committee on December 3, when the owners agreed to give a 7 percent increment, the workers withdrew from their previous position and demanded 12 percent. Earlier, the workers had demanded a total of 15 percent annual wage increase, including an additional 10 percent.
After the political change in August, workers held continuous protest programs in Ashulia, Gazipur and Savar. In light of this, in September, the owners and labor leaders of the ready-made garment industry reached an agreement on 18 issues. According to the agreement, there is an obligation to report to the government on the revaluation of the minimum wage within six months and the annual wage increase by November. Then, the Ministry of Labor formed a committee to determine the capacity and actions to be taken regarding the revaluation of the minimum wage and the annual wage increase.
