RMG wage board to be gazetted within a week: Labour minister

The government will publish the gazette notification on the garment sector’s wage board within seven days to ease labour unrest and restore a peaceful environment in the industry, Labour and Employment Minister Ariful Haque Choudhury said today (28 October).

Speaking at a meeting on the overall situation at the Gazipur Deputy Commissioner’s office, he said the government had received lists of representatives from both garment owners and workers, and the process would be completed within a week.

The minister accused an interest group of spreading misinformation about the wage board for political gain.

He also alleged that some people who were not workers were posing as labour leaders to create instability.

The minister instructed factory owners to pay workers’ regular and outstanding wages by the seventh of every month.

The meeting decided to form a special coordination and monitoring cell to address industrial problems and maintain law and order. The cell will include representatives from the district administration, police, local lawmakers, the Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments in Gazipur, the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), the Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA), and owners and workers.

The deputy commissioner will seek to resolve complaints through discussion, the minister said, urging stakeholders to report problems to the cell rather than “create disorder on the streets.”