The annual wage increment for the country’s readymade garment workers has been raised from 5.0 per cent to 9.0 per cent, effective from this month.

The garment workers would receive the increased wages starting in January 2025.

The announcement was made by labour ministry adviser M Sakhawat Hussain at a press briefing following a meeting held at his secretariat office in the city on Monday.

The factory owners and labour leaders agreed the 4.0 per cent rise in the annual increment amid labour unrest in the country’s RMG sector.

Thousands of workers from at least half a dozen units in the Ashulia industrial belt staged a work stoppage on Tuesday at their respective factory premises or outside the gates, demanding a 15 per cent annual increment and a Tk 25,000 monthly wage.

During the press conference, the labour adviser urged everyone to remain vigilant, saying that a conspiracy was underway concerning the readymade garment sector.

The fifth meeting of the ‘Minimum Wage Review and Annual Increment Hike for the RMG Sector’ committee, chaired by labour ministry additional secretary Md Sabur Hossain, was attended by various members, including representatives of factory owners and workers.

Sources said that owners’ representatives proposed an 8.0 per cent annual increment during the meeting, while workers revised their demand to 10 per cent.

As the committee could not reach a consensus after more than five hours of discussion, the committee chair, Sabur Hossain, proposed an increase of 4.0 per cent, resulting in a 9.0 per cent annual increment.

Both the owners’ and workers’ representatives agreed to and signed the agreement.

At the fourth meeting, factory owners had initially proposed a 6.0 per cent annual increment, which was later revised to 7.0 per cent.

Labour leaders, who had previously demanded a 15 per cent annual wage increase, revised their proposal to 12 per cent.

Currently, the minimum wage for an entry-level garment worker is Tk 12,500, effective since December 2023, up from Tk 8,000.