REJAUL KARIM BYRON and MD ABBAS

The decision on whether to formulate another minimum wage for garment workers after making adjustments in line with inflation will be made by April next year.

A committee, headed by an additional secretary from the Ministry of Labour and Employment, has already been formed to re-evaluate the minimum wage, it was informed yesterday during a meeting, which was to discuss the progress on the 18-point demands raised by workers in September this year.

The demands were agreed upon by both workers and factory owners following negotiations mediated by the interim government.

The meeting, chaired by Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuiyan, adviser to the Ministry of Labour and Employment, was held at the Secretariat.

The committee will submit recommendations on the feasibility and imperatives to review the minimum wage to the Ministry of Labour and Employment by April 2025.

The committee, which consists of three representatives each from labour and factory owners, has already held two meetings. The next one will be held on November 20.

Furthermore, over 99 percent of factories under the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) have implemented the previous minimum wage, as promised by the factory owners, according to a report from the Ministry of Labour and Employment.

In late November last year, the minimum wage board finalised Tk 12,500 as the minimum monthly salary for garment workers.