Wage board gazette within two days of workers’ nominations, labour minister wants names within a week
Photo: Collected
Labour and Employment Minister Ariful Haque Choudhury has said the gazette on forming the wage board will be published within two days of receiving the names of the garment workers’ representatives.
He said this at a press briefing on labour unrest and the wage board at the CIRDAP International Conference Centre in the capital today (Tuesday).
The minister said the names of the government and employers’ representatives for the wage board have been received, and the names from the workers’ side are now awaited. He urged labour leaders to hold talks among themselves and nominate their representatives within the next week.
Ariful Haque Choudhury said that once the workers’ representatives’ names come in, the gazette will be published within the following two days, barring public holidays.
The minister asked factory owners to take the necessary steps to clear outstanding wages. He said steps would be taken to contact the owners of factories where workers’ wages remain unpaid and ensure quick payment.
He called on workers, owners and the government to work together to resolve labour unrest. The minister said any problem that arises in a factory must be resolved within that factory, with support from workers’ organisations, owners’ associations and the government.
The minister urged workers not to take to the streets and block traffic. He also asked the government agencies concerned to take necessary measures so that no one other than workers and owners can create needless issues and stir up chaos.
In his words, the country’s development must be taken forward by protecting the interests of both workers and owners and by keeping industries running. The government is ready to work day and night, if needed, for the welfare of workers.
The minister expressed hope that, following the discussions and decisions at the tripartite meeting, everyone would play a responsible role in resolving labour unrest.
The briefing was moderated by Labour and Employment Secretary Md Abdur Rahman Tarafdar. Representatives of the owners and workers also spoke.
Background
The current minimum wage for garment workers, Tk 12,500, was set in 2023, 56.25 percent higher than the previous structure, and took effect from 1 December 2023; the previous wage structure had been fixed in December 2018, bdnews24.com reported on 7 November 2023.
According to a bdnews24.com report on 15 October, workers of several factories blocked roads in the capital’s Uttara for a third straight day, demanding payment of arrears and a minimum basic wage of Tk 30,000.
By the numbers
At a wage board meeting on 22 October 2023, the workers’ side proposed a minimum wage of Tk 20,393, while the owners proposed Tk 10,400, bdnews24.com reported on 7 November 2023.
At a glance
The wage board is a government-formed body that includes representatives of owners and workers; the 2023 board eventually finalised a four-grade wage structure, and its chairman at the time was Liaquat Ali Molla, The Daily Star Bangla reported on 26 November 2023.
Sources
Original report: BSS
Background sources: bdnews24.com, 7 November 2023; bdnews24.com, 15 October 2026; The Daily Star Bangla, 26 November 2023
