Bangladesh has constituted a new wage board to determine the minimum pay for workers in the readymade garment industry. The Ministry of Labour and Employment issued notifications on Sunday, November 1, naming representatives of workers, employers and neutral parties.
The appointments include ABM Shamsuddin, a director of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association, and Babul Akhter, general secretary of the Bangladesh Garments and Industrial Workers Federation. Dr Mosleh Uddin Ahmad, a professor of public administration at the University of Dhaka, was named as a neutral member.
Under the country’s labour law, the board’s chairman is to begin proceedings in consultation with the representatives. The formation of the board does not itself establish a new wage rate; the amount remains subject to the board’s deliberations.
The process comes amid discussion of living costs, workers’ demands and the industry’s operating conditions. Further decisions will depend on the formal wage-setting process.
Illustrative photograph.