The minimum wage board has finalised its recommendations, setting Tk 4,850 as gross monthly minimum pay for the tailoring sector workers with the provision of 5 per cent yearly increment. On January 31, the board formed for reviewing the wages for the sector workers published the proposal along with other recommendations in a gazette notification seeking, if there is any, written objections against or suggestions on the recommendations in 14 days.The government is going to award new wages for the workers of the tailoring sector after 10 years of the previous wage hike.Currently, the minimum wage for the tailors is Tk 2,325 set in 2008.The government formed the wage board in July last year to review the minimum wage for tailors within six months.In its recommendations, the wage board has incorporated five grades for workers in the tailoring sector.For the grade-5, the board has proposed Tk 4,850 as the minimum monthly wage for workers in district and upazila town areas. The amount includes basic pay of Tk 3,000, 35 per cent of the basic pay (Tk 1,050) as house rent, Tk 500 as medical allowance and Tk 300 as travel allowance.The wage board has recommended the minimum wage for the grade-4 workers at Tk 5,660 that includes Tk 3,600 as basic pay, 35 per cent of the basic pay as house rent in district and upazila town areas, Tk 500 as medical allowance and Tk 300 as travel allowance.For the grade-3, the proposed minimum wage is Tk 11,870 that includes Tk 8,200 as basic pay, 35 per cent of the basic pay as house rent in upazila and district town areas, Tk 500 as medical allowance and Tk 300 as travel allowance.In the proposals, the minimum wage for the grade-2 workers has been set at Tk 12,410 that includes Tk 8,600 as basic pay, 35 per cent of the basic pay as house rent in upazila and district town areas, Tk 500 as medical allowance and Tk 300 as travel allowance.According to the recommendations, the gross pay for the grade-1 workers has been set at Tk 13,220 that includes Tk 9,200 as basic pay, 35 per cent of the basic pay as house rent in upazila and district town areas, Tk 500 as medical allowance and Tk 300 as travel allowance.For all the grades, the house rent in the divisional cities would be 40 per cent of the basic pay.The wage board has suggested Tk 3,000 as the monthly gross pay for the apprentice workers with the provision of a six-month apprenticeship.Md Abul Kalam Azad, the owners’ representative to the wage board had earlier said that there were 35,000 standard tailoring shops with more than 10 lakh workers across the country.Azad, also the president of Bangladesh Dress Makers’ Association, said there was no scope for implementing the monthly minimum wages in the sector as tailors across the country worked on a piece-rate basis.The wage board has also set wages for tailors based on piece rate, recommending Tk 600 for stitching a piece of coat, Tk 165 for trousers, Tk 700 for sherwani, Tk 300 for safari, Tk 200 for medical apron and Tk 160 for three-piece dress.It also recommended piece rate for workers at Tk 200 for sewing burka, Tk 115 for shirt, Tk 120 for panjabi, Tk 200 for school dress, Tk 100 for maxi, Tk 80 for pajama, Tk 70 for salwar and Tk 50 for blouse.‘It is true that the amount of minimum wage for the tailoring sector workers at Tk 4,850 is poor, but we agreed to the proposal due to various reasons,’ Md Ayub Ali, the workers’ representative to the wage board, told New Age on Sunday.He said that it was not possible for the workers in the sector to raise voice strongly for wage hike as the workers were mostly unorganised.‘As the workers’ representative to the wage board I sought cooperation from the workers in making proposal regarding the minimum wage, but they did not cooperate,’ Ayub, also the president of Dhaka Mohanagar Darji Sramik League, said.He, however, said the workers, who are engaged in stitching, would get wages as per the piece rate and the monthly minimum pay would be applicable for others including cutter masters, delivery men, accountants, helpers and security guards in the tailoring industries.
