The government has announced Tk 10,001 as the gross monthly minimum wage for the country’s cotton textile sector workers and employees.

Previously, the wage was Tk 5,710 which was set in 2018.

The labour ministry announced new minimum wages for different grades through a gazette notification issued on April 4.

According to the gazette notification, the newly announced wages for the cotton textile sector workers would be effective from March 1, 2024.

Earlier, the minimum wage board formed for the sector in January this year finalised its proposal recommending Tk 10,000 as the minimum wage and it had been sent to the labour ministry in mid-March.

The labour ministry has finally announced the wage structure with a little change which was proposed by the minimum wage board.

According to the gazette notification, the government incorporated 10 grades in the wage structure for the cotton textile sector workers and minimum monthly wage for the workers in grade-10 would be Tk 10,001.

The amount includes basic pay Tk 5,162 for upazila town areas, 55 per cent of the basic pay (Tk 2,839) as house rent, Tk 750 as medical allowance, Tk 400 as travel allowance and Tk 850 as food allowance.

Grade 10 workers in the district towns and divisional cities would receive house rents at the rate of 60 per cent and 70 per cent respectively of the basic pay.

The minimum wage board had recommended minimum wage at Tk 10,000, including basic pay Tk 5,000, 60 per cent of the basic pay (Tk 3,000) as house rent for the upazila town, Tk 750 as medical allowance, Tk 400 as travel allowance and Tk 850 as food allowance.

It had also proposed house rent at the rate of 65 per cent of basic pay for the district towns and 70 per cent for the divisional cities.

The labour ministry reduced the rate of the house rent and slightly increased the basic pay from the proposal of wage board, but kept the gross amount unchanged.

The government has set the monthly minimum wage for the workers in grade 9 at Tk 10,417, grade 8 Tk 10,643, grade 7 Tk 10,962, for grade 6 Tk 11,250, for grade 5 Tk 11,570, for grade 4 Tk 11,889, for grade 3 Tk 12,723, for grade 2 Tk 13,250 and for grade 1 Tk 14,307.

The government has also incorporated six grades for the employees of the sector and set the same amount (Tk 10,001) as minimum pay for the employee of the grade 6.

The wages have been set for the employee in grade 5 at Tk 10,547, grade 4 Tk 11,378, grade 3 Tk 13,250, grade 2 Tk 15,361, and grade 1 Tk 18,545.

The labour ministry also announced Tk 7,503 as the monthly pay for both the apprentice workers and employee with the six-month period of apprenticeship.

The amount includes basic pay Tk 3,550, 55 per cent of the basic pay (Tk 1,953) as house rent, Tk 750 as medical allowance, Tk 400 as travel allowance and Tk 850 as food allowance.

As per the government announcement, the wages would be applicable to all the textile mills across the country and both the workers and the employees would be entitled for 5 per cent wage hike every year.

According to the sector people, there are some 7,000 textile units under the sector across the country and nearly 50 lakh people are working in the factories.