Siatex Bangladesh Ltd

The government is moving to readjust minimum wages for garments workers and constitute a wage board, the labour minister said on Tuesday, though RMG exporters warned it was not the right time in view of the global recession.

“Work on this by the ministry has already started,” Khondakar Mosharraf Hossain told reporters following a meeting with a BGMEA delegation on Tuesday.

“Since the present government took up office, work has begun so that workers get fair wages. Data are being collected by the ministry, and a new wage board will be formed very soon,” said the minister.

“Minimum wages will be announced after consultation with owners, workers and the new wage board so that owners and workers are not affected.”

He asked the owners not to terminate employment of workers unjustly.

BGMEA president Anwar-ul-Alam Chowdhury Parvez, who headed the delegation, said raising wages was not wise as the industry was feeling the effect of the global recession.

“Work orders have fallen in the last two months. Buyers are showing less interest than in the past. If this situation continues, exports in March and April will fall heavily and many other industries may also face closures,” he warned.

“Under such a situation pay rise is not possible. Rather if the government does not help, this industry will suffer,” Parvez told reporters.

“The government may try to overcome this situation by devaluing the taka. Devaluation is not a permanent solution, but in this case the government may create a special facility for exporters,” said the chief of the garment exporters association.

source: thebdnews24.com