Labour rights activists have demanded Tk 16,000 as minimum monthly wage and 10 per cent annual increment for the garment workers of the country.They also called on the government to meet their demand by next month.Six labour rights organisations placed the demand at a press conference at Dhaka Reporters Unity on Wednesday.Secretary General of IndustriALL Bangladesh Council, a platform of the readymade garment sector workers’ federations, Md Towhidur Rahman read out a written statement at the press conference.He said the government formed the wage board in January following the demand raised by the labour rights bodies and that the board would finalise the minimum wage by June.He, however, expressed dissatisfaction, saying that the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) was not cooperating with the board properly in completing its job.He feared that the wage board might not finalise the wage structure by June, as the government would remain busy with upcoming elections and other stakeholders may take more time to submit their observations.The minimum wage of Tk 16,000 is necessary to ensure proper environment for production and the development of the industry as well as meeting the basic needs of workers, the rights activists said.They also demanded immediate announcement of the new wage structure.Amirul Haque Amin, Abul Hossain, Ad. Mahbubur Rahman Ismail, Md. Bahar, Sultan Bahar and Salauddin Swapan attended the press conference.The six labour rights bodies are Bangladesh Garment Workers’ Unity Council, Garments Workers and National Manch for Industrial Safety, Rights Movement for Garments Workers, Garment Workers’ Wage Movement, and Garments Workers Coordination Council.
