BILS, with the support of Mondiaal FNV organised a roundtable titled “RMG Workers’ Wage Revision: Reality and Way Forward” on October 2, 2018 at Azimur Rahman Conference Hall, The Daily Star Centre (64-65 Kazi Nazrul Islam Avenue) Dhaka. The roundtable was organised aiming to analyze the reality in the context of declared minimum wage of RMG workers and to take recommendations for defining the way forward.
Assistant Professor of Department of Social Welfare at Jagannath University Mostafiz Ahmed presented the keynote paper in the roundtable.
The roundtable was chaired by BILS Vice Chairman Md. Mojibur Rahman Bhuiyan while BILS Joint Secretary General Md. Zafrul Hasan was present as moderator. Samajtantrik Sramik Front General Secretary Razekuzzaman Ratan, Bangladesh Supreme Court Lawyer Zafrul Hasan Sharif, Jatiya Garments Sramik Federation President Amirul Haque Amin, Bangladesh Jatiyatabadi Sramik Dal President Anwar Hossain, Centre for Policy Dialogue-CPD Research Director Dr. Khandokar Golam Moazzem, IndustriALL Bangladesh Council Secretary General Salaouddin Swopon, Bangladesh Trade Union Sangha General Secretary Choudhury Ashiqul Alam, Jatiya Sramik Federation President Quamrul Ahsan, Bangladesh Textile and Garments Workers League President Z M Kamrul Anam participated in the discussion.
Discussants in the roundtable said that, in the present context this minimum wage at RMG sector is not appropriate. Basic wage was decreased to 51% in comparison with 67.69% in 2006. They opined that, this wage is comparatively low considering the national and international context. Comparing with ship breaking, tannery along with other sectors, minimum wage did not increase at RMG sector. It is necessary to take minimum wage at RMG sector in a standard level for achieving sustainable development goal, vision 21, 7th five-year plan and developing Bangladesh as a country of mid-level income, they added. It is necessary to focus the workers’ position to government before the final declaration of minimum wage, they said.
Besides, SKOP affiliated and BILS associated national Trade Union Federations Leaders, IndustriALL Bangladesh Council Leaders, Workers representatives from present and former wage board, researchers, journalists and Leaders of various professional organisations were present in the roundtable.