Bangladesh gazettes Tk 8,000 minimum monthly wage for readymade garment workers

The government has published a gazette fixing the minimum monthly wage of readymade garment factory workers at Tk 8,000.

The new rate for around 4 million workers is a 51 percent increase over Tk 5,300, the last minimum wage set on Dec 1, 2013.

State Minister for Labour Md Mujibul Haque announced the new wage structure on Sept 13 after a new wage board met owners and workers at its offices.

Workers unions had been campaigning for a minimum wage of Tk 16,000, while garment owners had proposed an increase to Tk 6,360.

According to the gazette published on Monday, there will be seven grades for garment factory workers and four for other employees.

Besides different basic pays and house rents, Tk 600 medical allowance, Tk 350 for conveyance and Tk 900 food allowance are included in the minimum wages.

The minimum basic pay for the seventh grade is Tk 4,100 and house rent Tk 2,050. Including allowances for medical, conveyance and food, it is Tk 8,000.

The minimum pay for grade-1 workers is Tk 17,510.

Trainee workers will get at least Tk 5,975 and the period of training will not exceed three months.

For employees, the minimum wage at fourth grade is Tk 8,375 and grade-1 is Tk 14,075.

Trainee employees will get Tk 6,164 in not more than six months of training.

No factory can pay the workers and employees lower than the fixed rates. And the authorities cannot lower the pay if it is already higher than the fixed ones, according to the gazette.

The workers will enjoy 5 percent annual increase of their basic pay in line with the newly fixed rates, it added.