‘Govt. violated regulations in appointing worker’s representative to the Wage Board’- Labour Leaders

Desk Report: Labour leaders of Bangladesh RMG sector have alleged that the Government has violated regulations in appointing workers’ representatives to the Wage Board formed on last Sunday, 14 January 2018.

The leaders complained that the real representation of Bangladesh RMG workers’ has been neglected in the much-anticipated Labour Wage Board which comprises the Government-appointed officials, representatives of the factories and readymade garment workers’.

“On behalf of 16 trade union federations, IndustriAll Bangladesh Council (IBC) had submitted to the Labour Ministry the name of the workers’ representatives for the RMG sector Wage Board but the Government did not accept it,” Mojibur Rahman Bhuiyan, Chairman of IndustriAll Bangladesh Council, told the reporters.

“Like the previous wage boards, this board would also be dominated by the RMG factory owners in the absence of the real representation of sector workers,” Bhuiyan complained.

He also said that the IBC would convey its dissatisfaction over the appointment of workers’ representative to the Wage Board to the Labour Ministry.

Bangladesh Government on January 14, 2018, formed the Minimum Wage Board to review the wages for readymade garment workers, appointing Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) President Md Siddiqur Rahman and Jatiya Shramik League Women Affairs Secretary Shamsunnahar Bhuiyan as the owners’ and workers’ representatives, respectively, to the Wage Board.

According to the article 121 of the labour rules, if the highest-represented workers’ federation does not nominate the representative for the appointment to the wage board, the labour department would seek the representative for such appointment from the second highest-represented and third highest-represented workers’ federations.

As per the rules, if there is no registered trade union in the sector, the department would seek the representative from national federations involved with the sector.

If there is no national federation with such connection, then the government would appoint workers’ representative to the wage board based on its own decision, the labour rules stipulate.

Nasima Akhter, Treasurer of National Garment Workers’ Federation (NGWF), said that the Government had violated labour rules as it did not appoint workers’ representative to the RMG sector wage board from the highest-represented workers’ federation.

“The workers’ representative should be selected from the given name as those persons were actively involved with the developments of the garment workers’ movement,” she maintained.

However, despite the displeasure over the selection of representatives, labour leaders including Nasima Akhter expressed satisfaction over the Government’s initiative to review wages as the RMG workers have been suffering severe financial hardships.