WORKERS wages at least in one-third of all private sector enterprises remained unchanged from last six years to 33 years when inflation and cost of living have manifold increased. Report published in a national daily on Monday said that minimum wages set by Bangladesh Minimum Wage Board (BMWB) authority for 42 sectors have failed to improve the interests of workers as owners often ignore their labour rights. The income and expenditure gap in the lower income grades have drastically left workers and their families close to starvation. Such uncertain lives devoid of basic necessities are forcing many poor Bangladeshis to take risky migration in search of better earnings abroad. The real situation is not represented by the country’s general economic outlook.The Minimum Wage Board is the only statutory wage-setting body for private sector workers and it is mandatory to upward revise the wages every five years. But, the board failed so far in its task when the minimum wages for workers in petrol pumps, tea packaging, tea garden, tailoring, ship breaking, hosiery, hotel and restaurant, automobile workshop and such other industries remained untouched over the past years. Lamenting the meager wages, workers said negative attitude of owners is the main obstacle to workers to get a fair wage. As per the report, the Board had set Tk 521 as monthly minimum wage for foundry workers in 1983, Tk 792 for petrol pump workers in 1987, Tk 2,510 for employees of tea packaging industry in 2008 and Tk 2,325 for workers of the tailoring industry in 2008. Secretary of the Board said that in making the recommendations the Wage Board had taken into consideration cost of living, cost of production, business firms capability, socio-economic conditions of the country and such other factors. But in the prevailing situation it is totally impossible for workers to live with Tk 521 to Tk 2,325 monthly earnings even one lives in rural areas.The BMWB usually forms wage boards to get recommendation for a particular sector. It sets up temporary board with sector experts, labour leaders, owners’ representatives, and bureaucrats. But the wage board always ignores issues related to workers’ standard of living, productivity and skills. It usually considers the owners interests while recommending minimum wage for workers. Moreover in many occasions owners do not provide the minimum wage to the workers after the recommendations With inflation soaring and prices of essentials rising, labourers are passing their days in total hardship. We must say that the government must be serious in awarding a reasonable wage to workers considering their daily hardship. A rise in workers wage is always remunerative as it increases their productivity and owners income. Betraying workers proves counter-productive at the end.
