Minimum wage Tk 5,300, maximum 6,850

The government-constituted Wage Board has finalised the pay structure of the readymade garment workers with Tk 5,300 as the minimum and Tk 6,850 as the maximum wage.

The board finalised the pay structure with the consent of representatives of both industry owners and workers at its 10th meeting held on Thursday.

File Photo

After the meeting, board Chairman AK Roy told reporters: “Following long discussion, representatives of the owners and workers and independent members agreed to fix the minimum wage at Tk 5,300.”

The seven-grade wage structure contains five pay categories for the workers.

As per the wage board proposal, a worker, who will join the job as an apprentice, shall be appointed as an assistant operator after six months and will be entitled for a pay-package of Tk 5,300 with Tk 3,000 as basic pay under grade-7.

Senior operators who are in the grade-3 category will get Tk 6,850, which includes Tk 4,075 basic pay, as the maximum wage among the workers.

At staff level, quality master will get the highest salary of Tk 13,000, which includes Tk 8,500 basic pay.

Sweater factory employees will enjoy the same wage award.

Earlier, the owners rejected the Tk 5,300 minimum wage proposal but later agreed with the board on the matter following a meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Board members said a gazette would be published on the new wage award after its approval by the Labour Ministry.

The Labour Minister had earlier said the gazette would be published on Nov 25 and the workers would enjoy the new wage award from Dec 1.

The Wage Board proposed a 5 percent annual increase in basic pay, a benefit the workers are going to get for the first time in Bangladesh.

Workers’ leaders said with the new structure the wage hike has boarded a ‘new train’.