Cabinet okays Tk 8,300 minimum wage for public sector industries

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DHAKA, July 2, 2018 (BSS)- The Cabinet has approved the National Wage Scale-2015 and allowances for the workers of public sector industries with minimum wage of Taka 8,300 as recommended by the National Wages and Productivity Commission 2015.

The approval was given in the weekly meeting of the cabinet held at Prime Minister’s Office today with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair.

Briefing reporters at Bangladesh Secretariat, Cabinet Secretary Md. Shafiul Alam said the commission has recommended the wage hike of the worker almost 100 percent keeping consistency with the existing national pay scale.

The wage scale would have 16 grades and basic of the lowest grade would be Taka 8,300 which is now Taka 4,150. The basic of the highest grade of the wages would be Taka 11,200 from Taka 5,600, Shafiul Alam said.

The worker would get house rent at 50 percent of basic wage, medical allowance of Taka 1,500, conveyance allowance of Taka 200, washing allowance Taka 100, tiffin allowance Taka 200, Bengali New Year allowance 20 percent of basic wage, festival allowance equivalent to two months’ basic pay along with facilities of encashment of earned leave with others facilities.

The wage of the labourers would be executed from July 1, 2015 and allowances would come to effect from July 1, 2016, he said.

The cabinet also has approved the draft of the Fisheries Quarantine Act, 2018 to control import of fishes to prevent intrusion of any harmful agents.

Under the law, a Fishes Quarantine Authority would be put in place to monitor the import of any fish or aquaculture species by water, road, air and other routes.

The Department of Fisheries would act as the quarantine authority, he said adding that for violation of the act, an individual or personnel of a company will face minimum one-year and maximum seven-year imprisonment or fine of Taka five lakh or both.

Police, Rab, Coast Guard, BGB, port authority and civil aviation authorities, Bangladesh Railway, shipping agencies and all concerned organizations will have the authority to prevent any activity detrimental to the law and help the fisheries officials to execute the law.

The offence under the law would be non-cognizable and bail-able and dealt under the jurisdiction of the metropolitan magistrate, judicial magistrate and executive magistrate. However, no court will accept any case without written complaint of the quarantine officer, the cabinet secretary said.

The cabinet also approved the draft for extension of the Speedy Supply of Power and Energy (Special Provision) Act, 2010 for next three years, the cabinet secretary said.