Dr Khondaker Golam Moazzem on RMG Wage proposals, published in The Financial Express on Friday, 13 September 2013.
CPD unveils wage proposals for RMG workers Sept 24
FE Report
The Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) will make public its wage proposals for the country’s clothing sector workers on September 24 next.
The Minimum Wage Board (MWB), formed in June last, is currently working on fixation of minimum wages for more than 3.3 million ready-made garment (RMG) workers, working mainly in Dhaka, Savar, Gazipur, Chittagong and Narayanganj.
“We’ve already made our calculation to be announced at the national dialogue,” CPD’s additional director Khondaker Golam Moazzem told the FE.
The CPD will organise a national dialogue on the issue at the city’s CIRDAP auditorium on the day.
Ishrafil Alam MP, a member of parliamentary standing committee on ministry of labour and employment is expected to join as chief guest at the dialogue. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) leader and secretary-general of the Institute of Labour Studies Nazrul Islam Khan will be special guest.
Besides, two members of the minimum wage board, representing the workers and the owners will be present as panellist at the dialogue.
Mr Moazzem said CPD’s wage structure is based on some international wage formulas. “We’ve so far fixed wages for the garment workers on the basis of opinions placed by the workers’ representatives and the owners. For the first time, we’re going to place wage structures as per some international practices,” Mr Moazzem who is assigned for the job told the FE.
The wage rates will be based on the family expenditures required for a garment worker, he added.
The wages will be based on the calorie intakes needed for adult persons in a worker’s family.
The think-tank has already met with relevant stakeholders, including representatives of garment workers, overseas buyers and clothing factory owners.
The CPD has conducted three separate sample surveys at three important hubs of the garment sector that fetches more than US $ 20 billion in export earnings.
However, the MWB that usually fixes such type of wages takes into consideration the rate of inflation and the economic growth of the country. However, the CPD had earlier recommended twice such wage structures for the garment workers.