The government has published a gazette notification appointing members to the wage board tasked with setting new minimum wages for garment workers.

The gazette was issued on Sunday (November 1) by the Wage Board Wing of the Ministry of Labour and Employment.

Signed by Deputy Secretary Md Mahbubur Rahman, the notification states that the government has appointed members to the minimum wage board for the garment industry under Sections 138(3)(a) and 138(3)(b) of the Bangladesh Labour Act, 2006 (amended in 2026), to carry out the functions specified in Section 139 of the law.

According to the gazette, ABM Shamsuddin, a director of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), has been appointed as the representative of the industry owners, while Babul Akhtar, general secretary of the Bangladesh Garments and Industrial Workers Federation (BGIWF), will represent the workers.

Professor Dr Mosleh Uddin Ahmed of the Department of Public Administration at the University of Dhaka has been appointed as the neutral member. Asif Ayub, joint secretary-general of the Bangladesh Employers’ Federation, has been appointed as the owners’ representative, while Anwar Hossain, president of the Bangladesh Jatiyatabadi Sramik Dal, will represent the workers.

Earlier on Sunday morning, Labour and Employment Minister Ariful Haque Chowdhury announced the formation of the wage board at a press conference held at the ministry.

The minister said the government had formed a six-member minimum wage board, chaired by Senior District Judge Sheikh Ashfakur Rahman, in accordance with the labour law. The board became effective on Sunday.

He said the board would meet as soon as possible and decide on the minimum wages for garment workers through discussion. The minister expressed hope that workers would call off their street protests, return to their respective workplaces and resume work.