Annisul Huq, a director of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), who is also the representative of garment factory owners on the board, on Thursday sent a letter to the chairman of the board, alleging that the proposed wage structure had been submitted at the eleventh hour literally leaving no time for evaluating it properly.

Questioning the role of the neutral member, Huq explained that he had unilaterally submitted a proposal before any proposal came from the employers' side at the 25th meeting of the board on September 12.

"We formally complained that as a neutral member of the board, he failed to maintain his neutrality," Huq said on Thursday at a joint news briefing by two leading associations representing the owners in the readymade garment sector.

The complaint came after leading trade bodies blamed the government and the wage board for announcing an incomplete, one-sided and inconsistent pay structure giving priority to political gains ahead of the next election without considering its impact on the industry.

Only three members of the board -- Chairman Anwarul Haque, neutral member Iqbal Ahmed, and permanent representative of the workers Zafrul Hasan signed the proposal. Zafrul Hasan is also general secretary of Jatiyatabadi Sramik Dal, the workers wing of ruling BNP.

There are allegations that the board chairman, the neutral member and Zafrul were in a hurry to send the proposal to the government under pressure from it.

Annisul Huq and Nazma Akhter, did not sign the proposal, and permanent member of the employers on the board Kazi Saifuddin Ahmed was absent from the meeting.

Annisul Huq in his letter said the meeting on September 12 had four different proposals on the platter, the first of which was submitted by the neutral member and endorsed for discussion by the representative of workers Nazma Akhter. But the first proposal was not finally discussed as the second one already cropped up.

The board at the meeting failed to reach a consensus on minimum wages for garment workers despite a hectic seven-hour long negotiation and finally sent a proposal to the government based on a majority support.

The board sent to the government, for its consideration, a three-tier proposal to be implemented in three years with Tk 1,604 as gross minimum salary in the first year for entry level workers who fall under grade seven. The owners are seriously opposing higher increase in salaries in six other grades compared to the increase in grade seven.

Following a severe labour unrest in the country's premier export-earning garment sector, the government formed the wage board on May 31 and asked it to recommend a pay structure for the workers within three months.

The government, garment owners and workers' leaders at a meeting on June 12 inked a 10-point memorandum of understanding (MoU) after a series of discussions on May 24, June 1 and June 4 among the stakeholders in the sector and decided to implement those in phases to address labour unrest, and to ensure labour rights and peaceful atmospheres in the factories.

The board proposed Tk 1,604 as gross minimum wage for entry-level garment workers for the first year up to June 30, 2007, which would be Tk 1,890 in the second year during July 1, 2007 to June 30, 2008, and Tk 2,117.50 in the third year starting from July 1, 2008.

RMG workers agitate for Tk 3,000 minimum wage Different organisations representing garment workers continued their agitation yesterday rejecting the proposed pay structure and urging the workers to be prepared for a tougher movement against severe