Govt. Fixes the Minimum Wage for Construction And Timber Workers

The government has fixed wages for construction and woodworking workers in urban and rural areas of the country. The daily wage of a mason in the city will be 940 taka; In rural areas the wage will be 870 taka.

The government has fixed wages for construction and woodworking workers in urban and rural areas of the country. The daily wage of a mason in the city will be 680 taka; In rural areas, the wage will be 620 taka.

This rate of wages of the workers has been fixed in the notification of the final minimum wage for the construction and timber industry. The notification was issued in the third week of this month. In addition to the monthly wage, day-based wages have also been fixed for the workers of the sector.

In 2012, the minimum daily wage for construction and woodworkers was Tk 375. At present, it has increased to 680 taka. Although it is applicable for urban areas, the wage in villages will be Tk. 620.

The new wage structure for construction and woodworking has six grades. In all grades, house rent is 40 percent of the basic wage in urban areas and 30 percent in rural areas. Besides, in urban areas, medical allowance is Tk 800 and travel allowance is Tk 400. In rural areas it is a little less, medical and travel allowance is 600 and 300 rupees respectively. Although the basic wages in all grades are the same in towns and villages.

According to the new wage structure, the monthly wage of grade 6 ordinary workers or jogali in urban areas will be 17 thousand 720 taka. The basic wage is 11,800 taka. The house rent is 40 percent of the basic wage, i.e. 4,720 taka. Apart from that, the medical allowance is 800 taka and the travel allowance is 400 taka. The monthly wage of these workers in rural areas will be 16 thousand 240 taka. In this case, even if the basic wage is right, the house rent is 30 percent, that is, 3,540 taka. And medical and travel allowance is 600 and 300 taka respectively.  

The daily wage for Grade 5 assistant masons, masons, carpenters, electricians, painters, or polish masons in urban areas will be 770 taka. And the monthly wage is 20 thousand 100 taka. The basic wage is 13 thousand. The monthly wage of these grade workers in rural areas is 18 thousand 450 rupees. Daily wage 710 rupees.   

In urban areas, the daily wage of Grade 4 Assistant Sanitary Masons, Plumbers and Thai Aluminum Masons will be Tk. 830. And the monthly wage is 21 thousand 640 taka. The basic wage is 14,600 taka. The daily wage of these workers in rural areas is 60 taka. Their monthly wage is 19,880 taka.

The daily wage of Grade 3 mason, road mason, carpenter, electrician, painter, assistant mosaic or tile mason in urban areas will be 940 taka. In the village, it is 870 taka. The monthly wage of these workers is 24,580 taka in urban areas but 22,610 taka in rural areas. In both cases, the basic wage is 18,600 taka.  

According to the wage structure, the daily wage for Grade 2 sanitary masons, plumbers and Thai aluminum masons will be tk 1,020 in urban areas and tk 940 in rural areas. The monthly wage of these workers in urban areas is 26,680 taka but in rural areas it is 24,560 taka. In both cases, the basic wage is 18,200 taka.    

On the other hand, the daily wage of mosaics and tile masons in grade 1 will be Tk 1,105 in urban areas and Tk 1,020 in rural areas. Besides, the monthly wage in the city will be Tk 28,780 but in the village it will be reduced to Tk 26,510. In both cases the basic wage is 19,700 taka.

According to the notification, the apprenticeship period of a worker will be three months. However, the employer can extend it for another three months if necessary. During the training, the monthly wage will be 10 thousand taka. On a daily basis it will stand at 500 taka. In addition, after adjusting to the new wage structure, if a worker works for one year, his basic wage will increase by 5 percent next year. It will increase at the same rate next year.