Gazette published for garment workers' wage board

Bangla Press Desk: The government has issued a gazette notification establishing a Wage Board to determine a new pay structure for garment workers. The notification was released on Sunday (November 1) by the Wage Board branch of the Ministry of Labour and Employment.

The gazette, signed by Deputy Secretary Md. Mahbubur Rahman, states that, in exercise of the powers conferred by sub-sections 3(a) and 3(b) of Section 138 of the Bangladesh Labour Act, 2006 (as amended), the government has appointed the following individuals to the Minimum Wage Board for the garment industry sector, in accordance with the functions stipulated under Section 139 of the same Act.

The gazette appoints A. B. M. Samsuddin, a director of the BGMEA, as a representative for the employers, and Babul Akhter, General Secretary of the Bangladesh Garment and Industrial Workers Federation (BGIWF), as a representative for the workers.

Additionally, Dr. Mosleh Uddin Ahmad, a professor in the Department of Public Administration at the University of Dhaka, has been appointed as an independent (neutral) member of the Minimum Wage Board. Furthermore, Asif Ayub, Joint Secretary-General of the Bangladesh Employers' Federation, has been appointed as an employer representative, while Anwar Hossain, President of the Bangladesh Jatiyatabadi Sramik Dal, has been appointed as a worker representative.

Earlier on Sunday morning, at a press conference held at the Ministry of Labour and Employment, Minister of Labour and Employment Ariful Haque Chowdhury announced the formation of the Wage Board for determining the new pay structure for garment workers. He stated that, in compliance with the Labour Act, the government has constituted a six-member Minimum Wage Board, chaired by Senior District Judge Sheikh Ashfaqur Rahman. The board becomes effective today.

The Minister added that a meeting of the board will be held as soon as possible, where the minimum wage for workers will be discussed and determined. He expressed hope that the workers would now end their street protests, return to their respective workplaces, and resume their duties.