Thirty-five labour federations under four major alliances have demanded that the minimum monthly wage for ready-made garment (RMG) workers be fixed at 37,125 taka ($300).
The leaders also called for the formation of a new minimum wage board for the 2026–2029 term, urging the inclusion of genuine worker representatives on the board.
The demands were raised at a joint press conference held on Monday morning at the Shafiqul Kabir Auditorium of the Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU).
Shah Md Abu Zafar, a frontline leader of the alliance and the Shromik-Karmachari Oikya Parishad (SKOP), former member of parliament and freedom fighter, presided over the event. Alliance leader Khalequzzaman Lipon read out the written statement, while Nahidul Islam Noyon conducted the press conference and Abul Hossain delivered the introductory speech.
Addressing journalists, labour leaders said national and international labour laws, Article 15 of the Constitution of Bangladesh and Section 141 of the Bangladesh Labour Act set out clear provisions for determining wages based on 11 criteria. These include the cost of living, living standards, production costs, productivity, commodity prices, nature of work, risk factors, product market value, business capacity and overall socioeconomic conditions.
They said the proposed minimum wage of 37,125 taka had been determined after carefully analysing these benchmarks and prevailing market realities.
Highlighting the RMG sector's contribution to the national economy, the speakers said it earned $38.70 billion out of Bangladesh's total export earnings of $48 billion in the 2025–26 fiscal year, accounting for around 81% of the total.
Comparing figures from previous fiscal years, the leaders said Bangladesh's total export earnings stood at $31.20 billion in 2014–15, including $25.49 billion from the apparel sector. This represented an increase of $13.21 billion in apparel export earnings over the past decade.
Despite a decline in the number of active factories and workers during this period, export earnings had continued to rise, they said, arguing that wages for workers driving this growth must reflect the increasing cost of living.
Citing research by various organisations, the leaders said a worker's family could require between 57,000 taka and 70,000 taka a month, considering per capita income, poverty thresholds and the actual cost of maintaining a decent standard of living.
They argued that even if the primary earner covered 60% of a household's total expenses, a monthly income of 37,000–38,000 taka would be necessary. This estimate did not include additional expenses such as parental care, recreation, medical emergencies, festival celebrations and travel to rural homes, they added.
The leaders also said economic calculations based on equal proportions of food and non-food expenditure showed that a four-member family spending 35,080 taka on food alone would incur total monthly expenses of nearly 70,000 taka.
In view of these financial pressures, they said, setting a realistic minimum wage was essential.
The labour leaders urged the authorities to consider government pay structures, the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics' (BBS) 2025 special survey, prevailing market prices, cost-of-living indices, per capita income, productivity, value addition, minimum wages in competing apparel-exporting countries and relevant research findings.
Taking employers' financial capacity and the industry's realities into account, they said, setting the entry-level minimum monthly wage for assistant operators at 37,125 taka was justified and necessary. They urged the government to establish the new wage board promptly and ensure genuine worker representation.
Prominent trade union leaders Naimul Ahsan Jewel, Lovely Yasmin, Bachchu Mia, Rafiqul Islam Sujan, Asad Chowdhury, Saleha Islam Shantona, Sumaiya Islam, Shamima Akter and Bappi Deb Bormon, along with representatives of the four alliances, attended the press conference.