The government has initially identified seven more industrial sectors to set minimum monthly wages for the workers mainly to bring them under regulations, officials said.
The sectors are tiles and ceramic industry, commercial amusement parks, battery manufacturing industry, dried fish, private airlines, stone crushing, and IT park.
Out of the seven proposed industries, the government had finalised three industries–tiles and ceramic, battery manufacturing and dried fish–to fix the minimum monthly wages, they added.
At present, there are 43 formal industrial sectors including readymade garment (RMG), tannery, shrimp and pharmaceuticals. The minimum wage board under the labour ministry fixes minimum monthly wages for the workers of these sectors.
When asked, additional secretary of the labour and employment ministry Rezaul Haque said Department of Labour (DoL) and Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments (DIFE) collected information from field level and recommended that the ministry bring the seven sectors under the wage board.
The labour ministry takes decision on bringing any sector under the wage board, taking into consideration the size of the sector, the number of employments and whether the sector has any association or owners or trade union of workers, he explained.
“Initially, we have decided to bring tiles and ceramics, battery manufacturing, dry fish processing industries under regulations of labour laws and set minimum wages for the workers of these three sectors,” he said.
The sectors are growing fast with an increased number of employments, he noted, adding that the rest four sectors would be included in the list of the wage board once they finish scrutinisation.
The government announces wage board to review the minimum wages for a sector after every five years, ministry officials said.
The wage board consists of a chairman, an independent member, one each permanent representative from employers and workers and one each temporary representative from employers and workers.
According to wage board officials, there are 21 formal sectors and five years have passed since the government reviewed their minimum wages.
And five years are yet to pass, the government fixed minimum wages for the rest 22 formal sectors, they added.
Wage fixing of five priority sectors has been delayed due to the death of a permanent representative of the workers in the wage board, an official said.
The process is going on to nominate another permanent workers’ representative, he added.
The priority sectors are private jute mills, security service, tea garden, printing press and construction and wood industry, he said, adding that it was five years since minimum wages for these sectors were reviewed.
