Representatives of readymade garment (RMG) workers have proposed a minimum monthly wage of Tk 32,000 and a maximum wage of Tk 48,000, urging the government to introduce a revised pay structure in line with rising living costs.

The proposal was placed at the second meeting of the Minimum Wage Board, held in Segunbagicha, Dhaka, on November 9.

Workers’ representative Babul Akter said the proposed wage had been determined considering the rising prices of essential commodities, healthcare expenses and other basic living costs.

He argued that the proposed amount should be higher given the current economic conditions, adding that garment workers had been suffering from inadequate wages for years.

“Our wages started from a low level in 2006, and we are still bearing the consequences of that,” he said.

However, representatives of garment factory owners failed to present their proposed wage structure at the meeting.

ABM Shamsuddin, a director of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) and the employers’ representative on the board, said owners could not finalise their proposal because they had been busy dealing with labour unrest in the industry.

He requested additional time and assured the board that the employers’ proposal would be submitted within the next four working days.

Shamsuddin also said the revised wage structure would be implemented in December, irrespective of when the employers submit their proposal.

Minimum Wage Board Chairman Syed Azad Subhani said the board would proceed with a decision if factory owners failed to submit their proposal within the deadline.

The workers’ proposal comes amid ongoing protests across the garment industry, where employees have been demanding a minimum monthly wage of Tk 30,000. The latest proposal is Tk 2,000 higher than their previous demand.

The government formed the Minimum Wage Board on November 1 to assess the existing wage structure and recommend revised salaries for garment workers.

The board includes Dhaka University Professor Mosleh Uddin Ahmed as an independent member, ABM Shamsuddin representing factory owners and Babul Akter, general secretary of the Bangladesh Garments and Industrial Workers Federation (BGIWF), representing workers.

Its permanent members are Anwar Hossain, president of the Bangladesh Jatiyatabadi Sramik Dal, representing workers, and Asif Ayub, joint secretary-general of the Bangladesh Employers Federation, representing employers.

The board is expected to consider proposals from both sides before finalising recommendations for a revised minimum wage structure for the country’s garment industry.