The revised minimum wage structure for garment workers will take effect in December, with higher payments reflected in January salaries, the Minimum Wage Board said on Wednesday.
The announcement follows days of industrial unrest that has forced hundreds of factories to suspend production and brought garment workers into confrontation with police.
Syed Azad Subhani, chairman of the Minimum Wage Board, announced the timeline after the board's first meeting in Dhaka.
Representatives of workers and factory owners agreed on the proposed schedule, although the new minimum wage has yet to be determined.
The current minimum monthly wage stands at 12,500 taka. Workers are demanding 30,000 taka, an increase of 140%.
Wednesday's meeting began at 11:30am at the Minimum Wage Board office in Segunbagicha, Dhaka.
Subhani described the discussions as productive, saying both employers and workers had agreed on the implementation timetable.
ABM Shamsuddin, the employers' representative, confirmed the agreement.
Babul Akhter, representing workers, said the board aimed to finalise the revised wage structure by December.
"We will have to sit again with the stakeholders and discuss workers' proposals before reaching a decision," he said.
"The objective is to arrive at a reasonable and practical wage structure that reflects current market conditions."
The meeting was convened under Section 139 of the Bangladesh Labour Act, 2006, which governs the process of recommending minimum wages for workers across different categories.
Factory representative Asif Ayub and independent board member Mosleh Uddin Ahmed, a professor at Dhaka University, also attended.
The board must assess competing proposals from workers and employers before recommending the new wage rates.
The recommendations will then go through the statutory approval and gazette process before becoming legally enforceable.
The agreement on a timetable comes as protests over wages continue across Bangladesh's main garment manufacturing centres.
Workers have staged demonstrations, blocked roads and clashed with police in Mirpur, Gazipur, Savar and Ashulia.
Police used tear gas and sound grenades in some areas to disperse protesters.
The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) said 306 factories had suspended operations on Tuesday, affecting nearly 700,000 workers.
Of those, 161 factories were in Gazipur and Mymensingh, 93 in Savar, Ashulia and Zirabo, and 52 in Mirpur.
The disruptions have interrupted production and affected traffic on major roads serving the industrial areas.
Taslima Akter, president of Bangladesh Garment Workers Solidarity, said the demand for a minimum monthly wage of 30,000 taka was justified by rising living costs.
The existing minimum wage was introduced in late 2023, when it was raised from 8,000 taka to 12,500 taka.
Workers are now seeking a further increase of 17,500 taka a month.
--