Present hostile situation of the RMG sector was the concern of all parties present in the meeting.

In a bid to reduce the misunderstanding between the garment owners and workers, Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) representative Annisul Huq submitted financial accounts statements of seven factories covering two to three years and urged the other board members to check if those factories can afford the pay raise.

"The accounts I submitted in the meeting can be audited by any party including wage commission," Huq, also former president of BGMEA, told The Daily Star yesterday.

Minimum wage Tk 1,230 is being proposed for a new worker for six to nine months because a worker is usually upgraded after working this period, he explained.

The board will sit again next week to discuss the issue further.

Worker representatives in the meeting placed a pay structure with seven grades, sources said.

The workers are demanding a minimum wage of Tk 3,000 basic, which will add up to Tk 4,850 with house rent and other allowances while grade one total with all allowances will be Tk 24,000.

Garment owners and workers are at loggerheads over fixing a minimum wage for employees as the BGMEA is for fixing it at Tk 1,230 per month.

The board will have to recommend a new pay scale for the workers within 90 days.