The recent labour unrest in ready-made garment (RMG) sector has raised concern among the relevant government agencies over further spread of such agitation ahead of the national election, sources said.
Taking the issue into consideration, the Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments (DIFE) held a meeting on Sunday with a number of labour leaders to analyse the reasons behind the recent workers' unrest over the wage issues, they added.
Labour leaders in the meeting highlighted a number of issues, including confusion over the gazette notifications on new wage structure, reduction in basic payment, and disproportionate rise in wage for different grades.
When asked, DIFE inspector general Shamsuzzaman Bhuiyan said they had a meeting with the labour leaders to know their opinions on whether or not there is any inconsistency in the new wage structure along with their recommendations.
DIFE will inform the Ministry of Labour and Employment (MoLE) after scrutinising the labour leaders' opinions in this regard for deciding the next course of action, he added.
"We have given our opinions and some recommendations, so that workers' concerns regarding the new wage structure can be addressed after the national election," Towhidur Rahman, former secretary general of Industriall Bangladesh Council, told the FE after the meeting.
Workers are somewhat confused, as the government issued an amended gazette notification on November 29, four days after the final gazette notification on the new wage structure, he also said.
More than a year has already passed since the workers received their last increment. Besides, they would not get any increment now, as the new wage structure has come into effect from this month, Mr Rahman explained.
"We have requested the government to withdraw the provision."
The basic payment of RMG workers constituted 67.69 per cent of the gross minimum wage in 2006. But it is equivalent to 51.25 per cent in the new one (2018), he added.
Payment of different allowances, including overtime, festival bonus and other service-related benefits, depend on the basic payment, said Nazma Akter, president of Bangladesh Sommilito Garments Shromik Federation, who was also present in the meeting.
"We have proposed increasing the basic payment as well as the house rent," she added.
Both the leaders opined that wages in all the seven grades of the new structure have not increased proportionately, which is also one of the reasons behind the ongoing labour unrest.
Basic payment has increased by Tk 272 in seventh grade, Tk 196 in sixth grade, Tk 164 in fifth grade, Tk 79 in fourth grade, Tk 42 in third grade, Tk 5.0 in second grade, and Tk 409 in first grade after the regular annual increment since 2013, according to their paper presented in the meeting.
They also informed the meeting that labour unrest might take place again after the national election, and requested the government to address the issues immediately after the polls.
On December 15, MoLE convened an emergency meeting of the crisis management core committee over the labour unrest that still continued, as workers in some factories observed work abstention, they added.
Top officials from different law-enforcing agencies, including Industrial Police, and representatives of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) and right groups attended the meeting.
Workers of more than 50 garment factories, located in Gazipur, Ashulia and Narayanganj, had been continuing demonstration since December 09 over the new wage structure dispute.
Following the work abstention, the authorities of those units announced a three-day holiday, beginning on December 14.
The workers alleged that basic payment of a few grades would reduce, once the new wage structure is implemented.
State Minister for Labour Mujibul Haque Chunnu in an emergency meeting on December 15 assured that the government would address the inconsistencies, if any, in the new wage structure, through discussion with all stakeholders after the election.
In another meeting on December 06, the government instructed the RMG factory owners to pay wages timely, to refrain from shutting down any unit and terminating workers, and to remain vigilant in order to avert any labour unrest ahead of the election.
