The member factories of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) will implement the new wage structure for their workers from December this year as per the recommendation of the government-formed wage board, said the trade body today.

"The board has time until November 30 to announce the new minimum wage for garment workers. And we are getting ready to implement the new wage structure," BGMEA President Faruque Hassan said at a press briefing at the BGMEA office at Uttara in Dhaka.

The announcement comes as workers have been demonstrating in the garment industrial belts of Ashulia and Gazipur for the last several days, demanding a minimum wage of Tk 23,000.

Hassan said factories are getting closed almost every day because of the ongoing unrest.

If the situation prevails for some more days, factory owners will be compelled to shut down their production units, he said.

So far, two garment workers have died during the unrest, Hassan said.

On April 9, the government formed the minimum wage board for the garment workers to recommend the new wage structure.