As per the current minimum wage structure for garment workers set in September 2018, a worker is entitled the increment on their basic salary of Tk 8,000 a month. “It has become very difficult to pay workers their wages regularly due to the pandemic,” said BKMEA President AKM Salim Osman in a letter to the labour and employment ministry on Sunday. “In the given context, we are requesting the government to suspend the provision of 5 per cent yearly increment of the wage for apparel workers,” the letter added. A 5 per cent annual increment in wage is a worker’s right protected by the law, said Nazma Akter, president of Sommilito Garments Sramik Federation. “When the factory owners make hefty profits, they do not share it with the workers or give more than 5 per cent as an increment.

Source: Dhaka Tribune December 28, 2020 19:07 UTC