What is the salary of garment workers in which grade, what is in the new proposal?

Grade-based salary has been proposed to determine the new minimum wage structure for garment workers. According to the proposal of the labor representatives, the minimum monthly wage for workers in four grades has been set at Tk 32,000 to a maximum of Tk 48,000. On the other hand, there is a proposal to increase the monthly wage for employees working in the garment industry in four grades to Tk 40,000 to Tk 55,000.

Representatives of the labor side presented the proposal at the second meeting of the Minimum Wage Board at Segunbagicha in the capital on Monday (November 9). It outlines the wage structure for workers and employees separately, including basic salary, rent and other allowances.

According to the proposed framework, it has been proposed to fix four levels from Grade-1 to Grade-4 for garment workers and separate wages for apprentices. The highest wage of 48 thousand taka has been fixed for Grade-1 workers. 32 thousand taka has been proposed for Grade-4 workers. The proposed wage for apprentice workers is 30 thousand taka. It has been proposed to fix the wage of 43 thousand taka for Grade-2 workers and 38 thousand taka for Grade-3 workers.

The senior operators of the factory are in the Grade-1 category. Their basic wage has been proposed as 60 percent of the monthly total wage of 28,800 taka. House rent allowance of 14,400 taka and other allowances of 4,800 taka have been proposed as 50 percent of the basic wage. This will bring the total monthly wage to 48,000 taka.

Grade-2 category includes workers who operate and perform all types of machinery in the factory. Their basic wage has been proposed as 60 percent of the total monthly wage of 25,800 taka. House rent allowance of 12,900 taka and other allowances of 4,300 taka have been proposed as 50 percent of the basic wage. This will bring the total monthly wage to 43,000 taka.

Grade-3 category includes those who operate junior machines in factories and do all kinds of work. Their basic wage has been proposed as 60 percent of the total monthly wage of 22,800 taka. House rent allowance of 11,400 taka and other allowances of 3,800 taka have been proposed as 50 percent of the basic wage. This will bring the total monthly wage to 38,000 taka.

Grade-4 category includes helpers or people doing all kinds of auxiliary work. Their basic wage has been proposed as 60 percent of the monthly total wage of 19,200 taka. House rent allowance of 9,600 taka and other allowances of 3,200 taka have been proposed as 50 percent of the basic wage. This will bring the total monthly wage to 32,000 taka.

The basic wage offered to the workers during the three-month apprenticeship is 18,000 taka. 50 percent of the basic wage is 9,000 taka as rent allowance and 3,000 taka as other allowances. This will bring their total monthly wage to 30,000 taka.

What is the salary of each grade of employee?

Apart from workers, a separate wage structure has been proposed for garment factory employees in four grades. It has been proposed to set a monthly wage of Tk 55,000 for Grade-1 employees and a minimum of Tk 40,000 for Grade-4 employees. It has been proposed to set Tk 50,000 for Grade-2 employees and Tk 45,000 for Grade-3 employees.

Grade-1 category includes factory storekeepers, high-level assistants and senior firemen. Their basic wage of Tk 33,000 has been proposed as 60 percent of the total monthly wage. House rent allowance of Tk 16,500 and other allowances of Tk 5,500 have been proposed as 50 percent of the basic wage. This will bring their total monthly wage to Tk 55,000.

Grade-2 category includes factory account assistants, store assistants and other junior employees. In this grade, a basic wage of 30 thousand taka has been proposed as 60 percent of the monthly total wage. A house rent allowance of 15 thousand taka and other allowances of 5 thousand taka have been proposed as 50 percent of the basic wage. This will bring their monthly total wage to 50 thousand taka.

Grade-3 category includes employees working in the posts of factory clerk, officer assistant, data entry operator. In this grade, the basic wage of 27 thousand taka has been proposed as 60 percent of the monthly total wage. 13 thousand 500 taka as house rent allowance and 4 thousand 500 taka as other allowances have been proposed as 50 percent of the basic wage. This will bring their monthly total wage to 45 thousand taka.

Grade-4 category includes employees working as peons and cooks in factories. In this grade, a basic wage of 24 thousand taka has been proposed as 60 percent of the total monthly wage. A house rent allowance of 12 thousand taka and other allowances of 4 thousand taka have been proposed as 50 percent of the basic wage. This will bring their total monthly wage to 40 thousand taka.

Three-month offer for beginners

The proposed wage structure stipulates that the apprenticeship period of apprentice workers will be a maximum of three months. During this period, their total monthly wage will be Tk 30,000.

The proposal also states that food allowance will not be included in wages.

Currently, the minimum monthly wage for ready-made garment workers in the country is Tk 12,500. This rate was set in the latest wage structure in December 2023. This time, labor organizations are demanding that the minimum wage be increased to more than Tk 30,000.