The Minimum Wage Board is scrutinising submissions from individuals and organisations regarding proposed revision of the minimum wages for garment workers.
A total of 343 factory owners have submitted their observations on the proposed revision of minimum wages while similar submissions were made by some 22 labour organisations.
Sources at the Minimum Wage Board told New Age that at least 327 factory owners opposed the proposed increase of minimum wages which they felt was much higher while workers' organisations said the proposed wage increases were very inadequate.
Most of the factory owners proposed a minimum wage for seventh grade worker to be between Tk 2000 and Tk 2,500.
The board unanimously proposed the minimum monthly wage for a seventh grade worker at Tk 3,000, up from the exiting wage of Tk 1,662.
Most of the workers' organisations said minimum wage of a seventh grade worker less than Tk 5,000 would not be adequate for minimum standard of living.
'We are scrutinising the submissions and plan the next meeting of the board in the first week of September,' board chairman Ikteder Ahmed told New Age.
The gazette of the draft of revised minimum wages for garment workers was published on August 1.
The board sought submissions as the law allowed either of the two parties, the employers and the workers, could go to the board to lodge their dissent, if any, against the proposed wage structure within two weeks of its declaration.
After six months of negotiations the Minimum Wage Board on July 27 proposed an upward revision of the existing minimum wages for garment workers, suggesting 67 to 108 per cent increase of wages of workers in different grades.
Under the proposed pay structure, an entry point worker (a helper) placed at grade-7 would get Tk 3,000 a month from November, up from Tk 1,662, set in 2006.
A grade-6 worker would get Tk 3,210, up from Tk 1,851; grade-5 — Tk 3,455 up from Tk 2,046; grade-4 — Tk 3,763 up from Tk 2,250; grade-3 — Tk 4,120 up from Tk 2,449; grade-2 — Tk 7,200 up from Tk 3,840 and a grade-1 worker would get Tk 9,300 up from Tk 5,140.
Declaration of increased minimum wages triggered several days' of protests by the workers who were also irked by the declaration that implementation of new wages would start from November 1.
A total of 343 factory owners have submitted their observations on the proposed revision of minimum wages while similar submissions were made by some 22 labour organisations.
Sources at the Minimum Wage Board told New Age that at least 327 factory owners opposed the proposed increase of minimum wages which they felt was much higher while workers' organisations said the proposed wage increases were very inadequate.
Most of the factory owners proposed a minimum wage for seventh grade worker to be between Tk 2000 and Tk 2,500.
The board unanimously proposed the minimum monthly wage for a seventh grade worker at Tk 3,000, up from the exiting wage of Tk 1,662.
Most of the workers' organisations said minimum wage of a seventh grade worker less than Tk 5,000 would not be adequate for minimum standard of living.
'We are scrutinising the submissions and plan the next meeting of the board in the first week of September,' board chairman Ikteder Ahmed told New Age.
The gazette of the draft of revised minimum wages for garment workers was published on August 1.
The board sought submissions as the law allowed either of the two parties, the employers and the workers, could go to the board to lodge their dissent, if any, against the proposed wage structure within two weeks of its declaration.
After six months of negotiations the Minimum Wage Board on July 27 proposed an upward revision of the existing minimum wages for garment workers, suggesting 67 to 108 per cent increase of wages of workers in different grades.
Under the proposed pay structure, an entry point worker (a helper) placed at grade-7 would get Tk 3,000 a month from November, up from Tk 1,662, set in 2006.
A grade-6 worker would get Tk 3,210, up from Tk 1,851; grade-5 — Tk 3,455 up from Tk 2,046; grade-4 — Tk 3,763 up from Tk 2,250; grade-3 — Tk 4,120 up from Tk 2,449; grade-2 — Tk 7,200 up from Tk 3,840 and a grade-1 worker would get Tk 9,300 up from Tk 5,140.
Declaration of increased minimum wages triggered several days' of protests by the workers who were also irked by the declaration that implementation of new wages would start from November 1.
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