The government has decided to raise the wages of textile workers. The Wage Board has already finalized the draft proposal regarding minimum wages.
According to sources related to the Wage Board, the minimum wage of workers in this sector is going to be fixed at Tk 10,000, which is almost double the previous amount. The fixed wage in 2018 was Tk 5710.
Raisa Afroz, secretary of the Minimum Wage Board confirmed it to Bangladesh Post. She said that the draft has been finalized soon we will have the gazette published in this matter.
Industry insiders in this sector said that wages are being increased more than before. They also claim that the work of the workers in the textile sector is relatively light compared to the clothing sector. So there is justification for this rate of increase in job-wise wages.
The wages have been increased by 56 percent in the garment sector, and the wages in the textile sector are being increased by 75 per cent.
This has been published in the draft following the raising of the minimum wages of ready-made garment workers by 56 per cent in the last three months.
Raisa Afroz, secretary of the Minimum Wage Board, said, “The proposed wage has been fixed based on the consent of the factory owners and the representatives of the workers.”
According to the Bangladesh Textile Mills Association (BTMA), there are 1,780 factories of the organization including spinning, weaving, dyeing, printing and finishing.
Acting Secretary General of BTMA Mansoor Ahmed said that the number of workers in these factories is about 5 lakh. Besides, if non-member factories are calculated, the number of workers will be more than 8 lakh. “We have learned that the new minimum wage for workers in the textile sector will be Tk 10,000,” he said.
He also said, “Wages in the garment sector have increased by 56 per cent (from Tk 8000 to Tk 12000), and our sector is increasing by 75 per cent.”
