from here:

http://www.thedailystar.net/2006/10/06/d6100601033.htm

the national wage board could not come to a consensus on wage rises during a 7 hour long meeting today (sept 12), which perhaps isn’t surprising to observers and participants. the overwhelming emotion right now is possibly the palpable fear of yet more violence as a result of this dispute, which is damaging to the RMG sector and its workers. no one is arguing that wage rates need to increase, but we seem to be unable to separate the facts and the statistics from the politics. we seem to be unable to acknowledge our interconnectedness in profit making and accountability. we seem to be unable to engage in industrial dispute with any degree of maturity. while we were trying to win the argument behind the cause, we have sacrificed the cause itself. watch this space for more unfolding drama.

details here

-shahpar

more news coverage of the Wage Commission meeting today in Dhaka here

          Minimum wages for the garment workers would be finalised by next September 15. The fourth meeting of the “Social Compliance Forum for RMG” held in the conference room of Commerce Ministry Wednesday was informed, report agencies.
The meeting was also informed that a huge progress has been made in the implementation process of the tripartite agreement that has been signed last month to protect the interests of labour of this sector.
Commerce and Water Resources Minister Hafizuddin Ahmed presided over the meeting. Implementation of social compliance in the readymade garment (RMG) factories and recent violence in this sector came up for discussion in the meeting.
The minister said the government is working sincerely to ensure congenial atmosphere in the RMG sector in the greater interest of the country’s economic progress.
“Normalcy has already been restored in the RMG sector, as the government has taken immediate steps after the recent labour unrest in this sector,” he said, adding that production is going on in full swing in all factories.
Commerce Secretary Feroz Ahmed, Labour Secretary Syed Sujauddin Ahmed, Executive Chairman of BEPZA Ashraf Abdullah Yousuf, BGMEA President Tipu Munshi, chief of Forum Golam Hossain, Joint Secretary General of Sramik Dal M Anwar Hossain, coordinator of MFA forum Jonathan Rose, women leader Shirin Akther, representative of foreign buyers Arnd Bornemann and concerned officials and representatives of different ministries and organisations attended the meeting.
The meeting decided to launch training programmes for workers, supervisors and managers to educate them on compliance and improve management quality as well as efficiency of production.
The meeting also decided to include representatives from three more buyers of different regions of the world in the forum, as currently one member from EU represents the forum.
After the meeting, Commerce Secretary Firoz Ahmed told journalists that UNDP, SEDF, MFA Forum have already proposed to support the training programme and the forum would have to take responsibility of implementing it.
He said the committee headed by DG of Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) would monitor the activities.

Financial Express