Dhaka: The government has fixed the minimum wage for readymade garment workers at Tk 8000, said State Minister for Labour and Employment Mujibul Haque Chunnu.

The decision will come into effect in December next after the publication of a gazette notification, said the state minister while briefing reporters at his ministry here on Thursday afternoon.

The new wage has been fixed following the Bangladesh Labour Law as there is a provision to re-fix wage after a five-year interval. The gazette in this regard will be published by December, said Chunnu.

The basic in the new wage is Tk 4100. There has been a 50 percent salary hike compared to previous times, said the junior minister.

He said the minimum wage was TK 1662.50 in 2006, Tk 3,000 in 2010 and TK 5,300 in 2013.

The government formed a new wage board to review the existing wages of the garment industry workers on January 14. The garment owners proposed TK 6,000 as the minimum wage, while the demand from workers was TK 12,000. After bargaining, TK 7,000 was fixed. But, both the owners and workers did not accept it, said the state minister.

Later, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina held a meeting with both parties and fixed the wage. The board disclosed the information about the new wage at a meeting held at its office today, said Chunnu.

Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) president Siddiqur Rahman and wage board head senior district magistrate Syed Amirul Islam were also present at the briefing.

The BGMEA president said the new wages of the garment industry workers have been fixed as per the decision of the Prime Minister.