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Thousands of workers in 15 sectors are expected to come under the formal wage framework as the government has moved to introduce minimum wage structures, mainly to initiate formalisation by ensuring legal benefits, for them, officials say.
The sectors are private clinics, hospitals, and diagnostic centres; fertiliser factories; brick field; private airline; electric and electronics goods producer; ceramic; cement; battery; poultry; commercial amusement park; dry fish producer; stone crushing; IT park; colour and chemical factory; and milk products and dairy farm.
Of the 15 sectors, the government has already formed separate wage boards for four - ceramic, cement, battery, and poultry. The boards will fix minimum monthly wages for the sectors' workers.
Labour and Employment Secretary AHM Shafiquzzaman recently said they were going to bring 15 sectors under regulations and workers would benefit from the wage structure formation.
A labour ministry official told The Financial Express workers in the said sectors get wages at varied rates even within the same sector. There is no structure there as per the law of the land while there is no government monitoring either, he said.
Once fixed, workers would lawfully get a minimum wage structure and no employers could offer less than that, he also said. The workers would also be entitled to other legal benefits once they come under the structure, he added.
Syed Sultan Uddin Ahmmed, executive director of Bangladesh Institute of Labour Studies, welcomed the government's move, saying there has been a long-standing demand for bringing informal sector workers under regulations.
He, however, said the wage structure formation must be based on the current situation, the cost of living, the capacity of the respective industries, and other wage determination indicators.
Bangladesh Ceramic Manufacturers and Exporters Association's (BCMEA) Executive Secretary Zahedi Hassan Chowdhury said forming wage boards to fix minimum wages is part of compliance.
He is the owners' representative on the minimum wage board already formed for the ceramic sector, while Monir Ali, president of Khadim Ceramic Workers Union, is representing workers.
Zahedi also said fixing wages for the ceramic sector remains halted despite the board's formation six months back.
When asked, a Minimum Wages Board official said they are waiting for the names of workers' representatives.
"We have requested the labour ministry to give us the names of workers' representatives for about a dozen sectors, including ceramic," added the official.
BCMEA's Zahedi said there are more than 70 ceramic factories across the country that directly employ 60,000 workers with an additional 0.5 million indirect jobs.
Bangladesh fetched $33.09 million from ceramic exports in FY24, according to Export Promotion Bureau data.
The Minimum Wages Board comprises six members led by its chairman. In addition to the two permanent representatives of owners and workers as well as the independent member, the board has two temporary members who are appointed from respective sectors at the time of wage review.
According to the labour law, wages are reviewed for the country's 42 formal sectors every five years. However, according to a recent study, around 20 of the 42 sectors did not see any regular wage increase in the last six to 40 years.
Without clear calculations and economic justifications, the wage-setting process may lack transparency and fairness, which could lead to dissatisfaction from both workers and employers, the law says.