The new minimum wage for the workers employed in Bangladesh’s readymade garment sector took a further step towards materialisation after the Government published a gazette fixing the minimum monthly wage of a worker at Taka 8,000.
According to the gazette, there will be seven grades for garment factory workers and four for other employees while maintaining that besides different basic pays and house rents, Taka 600 (as medical allowance), Taka 350 (for conveyance) and Taka 900 (as food allowance) are included in the minimum wage.
As per the gazette, the minimum basic pay for the seventh grade is fixed at Taka 4,100 and house rent Taka 2,050, which including allowances for medical, conveyance and food comes to Taka 8,000.
The minimum pay for grade-1 workers is Taka 17,510 while trainee workers will get at least Taka 5,975. For employees, the minimum wage at grade 4 is Taka 8,375 and grade-1 is Taka 14,075. Trainee employees will get Taka 6,164.
The gazette further maintained that workers will enjoy 5 per cent annual increase on their basic pay in line with the newly fixed rates while adding that no factory can pay workers and employees lower than the fixed rates.
It also underlined that authorities cannot lower the pay if it is already higher than the fixed ones.
It may be mentioned here that State Minister for Labour Md Mujibul Haque announced the new wage structure on September 13.
