The government has formed a six-member minimum wage board to review salaries for readymade garment (RMG) workers following days of widespread protests demanding a minimum monthly wage of Tk.30,000.
Labour and Employment Minister Ariful Hoque Choudhury announced the decision at a press conference at the Secretariat on Sunday. Headed by Senior District Judge Sheikh Ashfaqur Rahman, the board includes Dhaka University Professor Mosleh Uddin Ahmed alongside permanent and temporary representatives from both factory owners and labour bodies.
The minister called on the board to submit wage recommendations swiftly while urging striking workers to clear roads and return to work immediately. He emphasized that the government aims to protect the garment industry while ensuring fair demands for workers though he noted that vested political groups were attempting to exploit the situation to create industrial instability.
The announcement came amid escalating unrest across Dhaka’s Mirpur area and the Gazipur industrial zone. Protesting workers blocked major roads, leading to clashes with law enforcement. In Mirpur, police deployed sound grenades to disperse crowds after chases and counter-chases broke out. In Gazipur the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) forces were deployed to restore order after demonstrators set fire to a traffic police box in Konabari.
The minimum wage board began its work immediately on Sunday to evaluate the sector's salary structure.
