Tk 12,800 min. wage set for EPZ workers

A minimum monthly wage of Tk 12,800 has been finalised for the workers of the EPZs run under the Bangladesh Export Processing Zones Authority (BEPZA), reports BSS.
The wage board finalised the wage in its 5th meeting held on Thursday, said a press release.
The workers of EPZs will get minimum wage of Tk 12,800, including a basic pay of Tk 6,950, 50 per cent of basic (Tk 3,475) as house rent and Tk 2,375 as medical allowance.
Besides, the workers will get food or food allowance and transport or transport allowance in addition to the gross wage and this benefit would be maintained in the current wage structure as it was earlier.
Under the Section 65 of the 'Bangladesh EPZ Labour Act 2019', the government constituted a Wage Board on November 09, 2023 with 11 members from the Prime Minister' Office, the Ministry of Labour, the Ministry of Finance, and representatives of owners & workers of EPZ enterprises headed by the Executive Chairman of BEPZA.
In the first meeting of the Wage Board seven more members were co-opted including three owners' representatives and three workers' representatives. The Wage Board met in a total four meetings and unanimously recommended a minimum wage of Tk 12,800.
Recommended draft wage was published in a gazette notification on December 07, 2023.
The current minimum gross wage (except food and transport allowance) of an EPZ worker is Tk 8,200 which was fixed in 2018. In the new structure, the minimum wage of EPZ workers has been increased by 56.25 per cent.
Currently 450 industries are in operation in eight EPZs located in different parts of the country including BEPZA Economic Zone at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Shilpanagar, Mirsharai, Chattogram. Till November 2023, investors from 37 countries have invested US$ 6.6 billion. The goods worth of US$ 107 billion have so far been exported from the EPZs.