Thirty-five labor federations under four major alliances have demanded that the minimum monthly wage for ready-made garment (RMG) workers be fixed at Tk 37,125 (or $300).
The leaders also called for the formation of a new minimum wage board for the 2026–2029 terms, urging the inclusion of genuine worker representatives as members on the board.
The demands were raised during 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-Karmaçhari Oikya Parishad (SKOP), former Member of Parliament, and valiant freedom fighter, presided over the event. The written statement was read out by alliance leader Khalequzzaman Lipon, with the conference conducted by Nahidul Islam Noyon and an introductory speech delivered by Abul Hossain.
Addressing journalists, labor leaders emphasized that national and international labor laws, Article 15 of the Constitution of Bangladesh, and Section 141 of the Bangladesh Labour Act outline clear statutory provisions for determining wages based on 11 distinct criteria, including cost of living, living standards, production costs, productivity, commodity prices, nature of work, risk factors, product market value, business capacity, and overall socio-economic conditions. They noted that the proposed Tk 37,125 minimum wage was formulated after carefully analyzing these benchmarks and current market realities.
Highlighting the backbone of the national economy, the speakers noted that the RMG sector earned $38.70 billion out of Bangladesh's total export earnings of $48 billion in the 2025–26 fiscal year, accounting for roughly 81 percent of total export revenue.
Comparing data from past fiscal years, leaders pointed out that during the 2014–15 fiscal year, total export earnings stood at $31.20 billion, of which $25.49 billion came from the apparel sector—marking an increase of $13.21 billion over the last decade. Despite a reduction in the number of active factories and workers over this period, export revenues have continued to grow, making it imperative that the wages of workers directly fueling this growth align with the surging cost of living.
Citing various research organizations, the leaders stated that considering per capita income, poverty line thresholds, and the actual cost of decent living, the monthly expenditure for a worker's family is significantly higher, potentially ranging between Tk 57,000 and Tk 70,000.
They argued that even if a primary earner covers 60 percent of a household's total expenses, a monthly income of Tk 37,000 to Tk 38,000 is necessary—notwithstanding additional costs like parental care, recreation, medical emergencies, festival expenses, and rural travel.
Furthermore, economic calculations factoring in equal proportions for food and non-food expenses dictate that a four-member family spending Tk 35,080 on food alone incurs a total monthly expenditure of nearly Tk 70,000. Under these economic pressures, setting a realistic wage is critical.
The labor leaders urged authorities to take 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 nations, and various research reports into active consideration.
They stressed that keeping employers' financial capacity and industry realities in mind, setting the entry-level minimum wage for assistant operators at Tk 37,125 is both justified and necessary, and urged the government to promptly establish the new wage board with authentic worker representation.
Prominent trade union leaders including Naimul Ahsan Jewel, Lovely Yasmin, Bachchu Mia, Rafiqul Islam Sujan, Asad Chowdhury, Saleha Islam Shantona, Sumaiya Islam, Shamima Akter, and Bappi Deb Bormon, alongside representatives from the four federations, were present at the press conference.
