Dhaka:The reconstituted Minimum Wage Board for the ready-made garment (RMG) sector announced that a new wage structure will be implemented in December, with increased wages for workers set to commence from January 2027. This decision emerged from the board's first meeting held on Wednesday.
According to United News of Bangladesh, the timeline was jointly announced by the board's owner representative ABM Shamsuddin and worker representative Babul Akhter following the meeting at the Minimum Wage Board office in Segunbagicha. The meeting was chaired by newly appointed board Chairman and District and Sessions Judge Syed Azad Subhani.
The first meeting of the reconstituted board occurred amidst ongoing labor unrest in the garment sector and a series of high-level discussions regarding wage demands. Syed Azad Subhani briefed reporters that owner and worker representatives would submit their respective wage proposals at the next meeting. Additionally, the board's neutral member will submit a proposal, after which formal discussions on the proposed wage rates will begin.
The government reconstituted the Minimum Wage Board through a gazette notification issued on Sunday. Under the notification, Dhaka University Professor Mosleh Uddin Ahmad was appointed as the board's neutral member. Asif Ayub and Anwar Hossain were appointed as permanent members representing employers and workers, respectively. In a separate notification, ABM Shamsuddin and Babul Akhter were designated as sector-specific representatives of employers and workers.
Additionally, the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs appointed Syed Azad Subhani as the successor to former board Chairman Sheikh Ashfaqur Rahman, who was transferred to the Judicial Administration Training Institute as Director (Training).
On Tuesday evening, BGMEA President Mahmud Hasan Khan met with Prime Minister Tarique Rahman to discuss the situation in the apparel sector. Khan expressed to editors of major national dailies that an early announcement of the wage board's timeline would aid in reassuring garment workers and restoring stability in the sector.