The government has appointed three new permanent members from owners, workers and independent people to the minimum wage board, replacing the previous ones, according to labour ministry officials.
The labour ministry on November 18 issued a notification announcing the appointment.
As per the ministry notification, Bangladesh Employers Federation joint secretary Asif Ayub has been appointed as the permanent member from the owners on the board.
Bangladesh Jatiyatabadi Sramik Dal president Anwar Hossain will represent the workers as the permanent workers鈥� representative.
These new appointees replaced the previous members 鈥� BEF deputy secretary Moksud Belal Siddique and Jatiya Sramik League joint secretary Sultan Ahmad.
Dhaka University professor Md Nazim Uddin Bhuiyan has been appointed as the independent member to the board. Nazim replaced Md Kamal Uddin, a professor of the same university.
The minimum wage board consists of six members, including a chairman, two permanent representatives from the owners and workers, and an independent member.
Additionally, two temporary members are appointed from the relevant sectors during any wage reviews.
Under the Bangladesh Labour Act 2006, wages are reviewed every five years for the country鈥檚 42 formal sectors.
However, a recent study revealed that nearly 47.6 per cent of these sectors 鈥� 20 out of the 42 鈥� have not experienced any regular wage increase in the past six to forty years.
The study also identified that the wage declaration process by the minimum wage board faced notable challenges, including significant delays, controversies over the selection of worker representatives and a lack of transparency in how wages were calculated.
The study said that the calculations were not publicly disclosed, and independent members never provided separate assessments.
The study identified that political influences could impact wage decisions, as seen in sectors like tea, and the declared wages often fall short of workers鈥� expectations.