Labour representatives on Bangladesh’s Minimum Wage Board have proposed a Tk 32,000 ($260) monthly minimum wage for entry-level readymade garment workers, up from Tk 12,500 ($101).
The proposal was submitted at the board’s second meeting in Dhaka today. It would represent a 156% increase on the current minimum wage, set in December 2023.
Workers’ representative Babul Akhter, general secretary of the Bangladesh Garment and Industrial Workers Federation, said: “Over the past few days, we have discussed the wage proposal with 12 alliances of labour leaders, 60 federations and leaders of trade unions active at factory level.”
The proposal sets basic pay at Tk 19,200, house rent at Tk 9,600 and other allowances at Tk 3,200. It also proposes Tk 30,000 ($244) for apprentices and a 15% annual increment.
Board chairman Syed Azad Subhani said employers had requested seven working days to submit their proposal, but were given four. “If they fail to submit something, we will not wait for their proposal,” he said.
Employers’ representatives include ABM Shamsuddin of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association and Asif Ayub of the Bangladesh Employers’ Federation.
The Ministry of Labour and Employment published the existing garments-sector minimum-wage gazette in December 2023. The wage review follows amendments to the Bangladesh Labour Act, which reduced the review cycle from five to three years.
