Nine years after its revision, the government has initiated a move to review minimum wage for the workers of the country's privately-owned road transport sector, officials said.
The labour ministry on July 11 issued a gazette notification, appointing representatives of owners and workers from the privately-owned road transport sector to the minimum wage board.
The board consists of a chairman, an independent member and two permanent representatives from employers and workers.
The labour ministry has also appointed two temporary representatives--one from employers and another from workers engaged in the sector-- to the wage board.
Bangladesh Road Transport Owners Association vice president Md Abul Kalam has been appointed as the owners' representative while Bangladesh Sarak Paribahan Sramik League general secretary Md Insur Ali as the workers' representative.
The government fixed the minimum wage for the workers of the road transport sector at Tk 6,300 in 2010, according to wage board officials.
Minimum wage included Tk 4,000 as basic pay, Tk 1,600 as house rent, Tk 500 as medical allowance and Tk 200 as travel allowance.
Tk 4,900 minimum gross pay was set for the employees of the sector in the same year.
When asked, Mr Ali said they would demand Tk 30,000 as minimum wage for the workers of the sector.
He alleged that as many labour leaders are the owners of buses and trucks, they failed to protect the interests of the workers.
He, however, said they would place demands including issuance of appointment letters to workers, introducing service books and festival allowance. Workers don't get any festival allowance or others, he added.
According to him, some 7.1 million workers are engaged in the transport sector across the country.
Some 8,000 buses have been registered with Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC) while half of them are plying the road, according to industry insiders.
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