Dhaka University Professor Kamaluddin Ahmed does not represent anybody in the board and is seen as a 'neutral' member.
M Saifuddin represents the garment factory owners and AK Fazlul Haque Mintu will represent the workers in the board, Labour Minister Rajiuddin Ahmed Raju told the press on Thursday.
BGMEA Director Arshad Jamal Dipu and Sirajul Islam Rony were included as temporary members to represent the garment owners and their workers respectively.
The Labour Minister said he expected the Board to come up with its recommendations well before the six-month deadline.
The Minister claims his government is ‘worker friendly’, as evident from the deals given to tea and jute workers, in both plantations and production.
“This country belongs to you and me. I will humbly request you all to save this sector. Our country will suffer this sector cannot be saved,” the minister said in an appeal to the garment factory workers.
The Minister hoped that the board will work to satisfy the workers on ‘all the issues'.
The factories located in Ashulia, Savar and Dhaka will be moved to Munshiganj’s Gazaria.
“500 acres of land has been set aside to develop the special garment facrtory zone there”, said the minister, adding there were plans to set up seven garment housing projects in as many divisions.
The projects will include schools, colleges and hospitals, beside other facilities.
Presently there are 4 million workers, 80 percent of them women, mostly from villages, working in the garment factories the Labour Minister said.
He said the sector has not only boosted Bangladesh's export but also paved the way for female empowerment.
Labour Secretary Mikail Shipar was also present at the briefing.
On July 27, 2010 the workers’ minimum pay was fixed at Tk 3,000, but now their organisations demand a hike to meet the impact of inflation and price rise.
Top importers of Bangladesh made garments have turned the heat on the government to provide workers better pay and improve safety in the factories after the Rana Plaza and last November’s fire at Tazreen Fashions.
The Rana Plaza colapse led to more than 1100 deaths while 110 workers were burnt to death in the Tazreen fire.
The European Union, Bangladesh’s largest importer, threatened to revoke its preferential trading facility.
Several US senators too have reportedly been pushing the Obama administration to cancel Bangladesh’s GSP facility.
If that happens, Bangladesh would face millions of dollars in taxes.
This prompted the government to form a high-level committee, headed by the textiles minister, to inspect working conditions and safety at the garment factories.
Minister Abdul Latif Siddiqui said the wage-board would be formed in line with the Labour Act for maintaining healthy labour relations to run the factories smoothly.