Bangladesh garment employers for 20% wage hike to workers

16 Sep '13

1 min read

Owners of apparel factories in Bangladesh have urged not to increase wages of garment workers up to 20 percent, taking into consideration the two-year rate of inflation in the country.

The garment factory owners said this at an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) held in Dhaka.

The opinion of garment sector employers gain importance as the Minimum Wage Board (MWB), constituted in June, 2013, is currently working on fixation of minimum wages for more than 3.3 million readymade garment (RMG) workers, working mainly in Dhaka, Savar, Gazipur, Chittagong and Narayanganj regions of the country.

The MWB had initially asked owners’ representatives to place their proposal on minimum wages for garment workers on September 2, 2013. Subsequently, the board extended the time for submission until September 17, 2013, when the next MWB meeting would be held.

Meanwhile, the Garment Workers’ Trade Union Centre (GWTUC) has urged all the readymade garment factory workers to unite and join the movement to demand an entry level minimum wage of Tk 8,000 for garment factory workers.

In 2010, the salaries of Bangladeshi garment workers were raised by 82 percent from Taka 1,600 to Taka 3,000.

Fibre2fashion News Desk - India

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