BGMEA President Md Siddiqur Rahman called on apparel makers on Wednesday for making timely payment of wages and other allowances to their workers.He also sought cooperation from all, including the workers, to implement the new wage structure in ready-made garment (RMG) sector from next month (December).”I request the garment sector entrepreneurs to ensure timely payment of wages and allowances to their workers along with other required facilities,” he said.The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) chief was speaking at a cheque-handover ceremony at its headquarters in the city.Some 77 ill garment workers and 57 meritorious children of workers of the registered factories under BGMEA and Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA) received financial support worth Tk 4.14 million from the central fund of RMG sector.State Minister for LabourMujibul Haque Chunnu was present at the programme as the chief guest.Labour Secretary Afroza Khan, Bangladesh Labour Welfare Foundation Director General Anisul Awal, BKMEA President A K M Salim Osman and Vice President Mansoor Ahmed, and BGMEA Vice President Mohammed Nasir, among others, were also present.The government formed the central fund, where the export-oriented factories must contribute 0.03 per cent of their total freight on board (FOB) product prices.The government started collecting money for the fund from the RMG factory owners from July 01, 2016.A total of Tk 1.23 billion has been deposited in the fund until to date — equally in two accounts, of which one is beneficiary account and the other is contingency account.Grants for workers or their family members are provided from the beneficiary account. The amount deposited in the contingency account is used to meet the dues of workers of any closed factory, if its owner fails to pay it.”Both garment workers and expatriate workers play a vital role in the country’s economic development, and they should be respected for that,” the BGMEA president further said in his speech.The Prime Minister has enhanced the minimum monthly wage for an entry-level garment worker to Tk 8,000 from the existing Tk 5,300, although the apparel makers have the highest capacity to pay Tk 7,000.”But we’ve accepted it, and all others should accept it also,” he opined.The state minister said the garment wage structure has been increased, but buyers have not increased prices of products.He suggested the RMG sector workers not to pay any heed to instigations of some vested quarters.
