The Minimum Wage Board will hold its first meeting today (Wednesday) to discuss and recommend a revised minimum wage structure for workers and employees across all categories of the ready-made garment (RMG) industry.

According to a press release issued by the board under the Ministry of Labour and Employment, the meeting will begin at 11:00am at the board’s meeting room on the 14th floor of Shah Porshia, 40 Segunbagicha, Dhaka.

The agenda includes an introductory session, preliminary discussions on recommending minimum wage rates for garment industry workers and employees, and other relevant matters.

The meeting will be chaired by Sheikh Ashfaqur Rahman, chairman of the board and a senior district judge.

The meeting has been convened under Section 139 of the Bangladesh Labour Act, 2006, to initiate the process of recommending minimum wage rates for all categories of workers and employees in the garment industry.

The meeting comes amid ongoing protests by garment workers demanding an increase in their minimum monthly wage to Tk 30,000, citing rising living costs.

On Tuesday (November 3), demonstrations, road blockades and clashes between workers and police continued in Mirpur, Gazipur, Savar and Ashulia, disrupting factory operations.

The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) reported that 306 factories had suspended production by 11:00am, affecting nearly 700,000 workers.

According to BGMEA data, 161 factories in Gazipur and Mymensingh, 93 in Savar, Ashulia and Zirabo, and 52 in Mirpur had suspended operations.

Police used tear gas and sound grenades to disperse protesters in some areas, while road blockades disrupted traffic on major highways.

Meanwhile, Taslima Akter, president of Bangladesh Garment Workers Solidarity (BGWS), said the demand for a minimum monthly wage of Tk 30,000 was justified given the rising cost of living.