Home ›› 13 Oct 2021 ›› Front
The labour ministry has published the gazette about minimum wage for construction workers nine years after the first of its kind came out in 2012.
As per the new wage rate, Tk 620 has been fixed as the minimum daily wage for a rural labour entitled to Grade-6, which is considered the last
grade. Under this, he will receive Tk 16,240 as monthly wage, including allowances.
The grade-1 labour -- tile and mosaic fitter -- will have Tk 1,020 as a daily minimum wage, thereby Tk 25,510 a month.
Labour wage for cities is more than that of villages. Grade-1 workers in cities will get Tk 1,105 daily and Tk 28,780 monthly while Grade-6 workers Tk 680 daily and Tk 17, 720 monthly.
The monthly wage increased by three fold for apprentice worker to Tk 10,000 in the latest gazette from Tk 3,000 stated in the previous one.
However, the daily wage has been fixed at Tk 500 first time in the latest gazette for apprentice worker.
The labour leaders said the new wage board won’t add any value to workers’ livelihood as they do not get any of the facilities mentioned in the wage board.
The government needs to come forward to implement the gazette.
According to the Building Construction Workers Union Bangladesh, approximately there are 3.6 million construction labourers working in Bangladesh.
Almost all of them are informal labours who have no appointment letter. Even they do not have any identity card either from their employer or from the organisations they work for.
“We are continuously urging the government to give the workers’ identity card and make a database as per their grade and position. A project started in association with ILO, BILS and the government several years back which failed to do so,” Md Abdur Razzak, general secretary of construction workers’ union, told The Business Post.
“Workers are entitled to get house rent, medical and transport allowance and all other facilities in accordance with the labour law. But no worker gets that as they have no permanent work.”
“We offered a pension scheme for construction workers where they will pay 50 per cent and the rest will be paid by the government so that in old age they can rely on that fund.”
Razzak urged the government to be a part of this pension scheme as employers do not give any appointment letter, and so workers are deprived of facilities.
According to the new gazette, construction companies will be responsible if any financial dispute arises between contractor and worker.
However the companies are not taking any responsibilities while manpower suppliers are small organisation and not organised as well to apply the law.
“We outsource workers from suppliers. We do not appoint any permanent workers in fact,” said REHAB vice-president Kamal Mahmud.
“Suppliers also do not go by the wage board formula. If they follow it, workers must be employed as per the rule, and it could then obtain a good result.”
Md Nasir Uddin Ahmed, inspector general, Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments under the Ministry of Labour and Employment, could not be reached for comment.
The grade for daily wage earners ranges from apprentice to Grade-6.
The Grade 1 includes tile and mosaic fitters, Grade-2 sanitary fitter, plumber and thai aluminum fitter, Grade-3 carpenter, rod vender, mason, electrician, mosaic and tile fitter assistants, Grade-4 assistant to sanitary fitter, plumber and thai-aluminum fitter, Grade-5 assistant to mason, road vender and carpenter, and also assistant to electrician and polishers, and Grade-6 labourer and helper.
According to the gazette, all manpower suppliers and construction companies must consider their workers as per the grades they belong to.
A minimum monthly wage is Tk 26,680 (Tk 1,020 daily) for urban labour and Tk 24,560 (Tk 940 daily) for rural worker under Grade-2, Tk 24,580 (Tk 940 daily) for urban and Tk 22,610 (Tk 870 daily) for rural labour at Grade-3, Tk 21, 640 (Tk 830 daily) for urban and Tk 19,880 (Tk 760 daily) for rural workers as per Grade-4, Tk 20,100 (Tk 770 daily) for urban and Tk 18,450 (Tk 710 daily) for rural labour according to Grade-5, Tk 17,520 (Tk 680 daily) for urban and Tk 16,240 (Tk 620 daily) for rural workers under Grade-6.
This is the third wage board announced for construction workers on August 16, 2021. The first minimum wage was announced in 2007.
