Dhaka, June 27 (UNB) – RMG owners on Wednesday said they will think about increasing the wages of workers if the demands are raised in a proper platform through the government.

They also said the wage issue cannot be settled before Eid-ul-Azha as the process involves detailed discussions in a proper platform to evaluate the impacts of the wage hike on other sectors.

Talking to reporters after a press conference at BGMEA Bhaban, AKM Selim Osman , president of the Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Associatoin (BKMEA), said, “I won’t say that the demand of the workers are illogical, or that it’s impossible for us to meet the demands, but we’ll take time for discussion.”

“I think we can reach a decision after Eid-ul-Azha provided that the Labour Ministry takes proper initiatives. We need to keep in mind that the government will evaluate the impacts the wage hike in the RMG sector will create on the remaining 46 industrial sectors in the country,” he said.

Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association president Shafiul Islam Mohiuddin told reporters that the owners will consider the issue of re-fixing wages if they have a proposal from the government.

“This is a matter of the government. It’s their concern,” he said.