In response to the ongoing protests by readymade garment workers, the Minimum Wage Board is scheduled to convene its 6th meeting on Tuesday, November 7th, at 11:00 am to finalize the minimum wage.
The meeting will take place at the board’s office in Segunbagicha, the capital, as announced in a press statement signed by the board’s secretary, Raisa Afroz.
Despite efforts by the government, workers’ leaders, and owners’ associations to restore normalcy, garment workers in Dhaka and the surrounding areas have been protesting for a week, demanding a minimum wage of Tkv23,000. On October 21st, workers initially requested an increase in their minimum wage from the existing Tk 8,000 to Tk 20,390, while the owners proposed to raise it to Tk 10,400. Subsequently, on October 30th, massive clashes between police and ready-made garment workers resulted in at least two fatalities and about 40 injuries in various industrial areas in Ashulia, Savar, and Gazipur.
Following the week of clashes, on November 1st, factory owners agreed to offer higher minimum wages to garment workers than the Tk 10,400 initially proposed. Consequently, three separate cases have been filed, involving at least 1,500 individuals, related to the vandalism of three garment factories, financial losses incurred, and injuries to factory officials during the protests by readymade garment workers in Ashulia, Savar.
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