The government has formed a wage board to review the minimum monthly wages for the workers of the country's cold storage industry, announcing the name of owners' representative who died eight months ago.
The labour and employment ministry issued a gazette notification on January 25, announcing the names of the representatives from workers and owners for recommending the minimum wages.
The wage board consists of a chairman, an independent member, one each permanent representative from employers and workers and one each temporary representative from the employers and workers.
The workers' and employers' representatives have been selected from the respective industry.
According to the gazette notification, the labour ministry appointed Bangladesh Cold Storage Association (BCSA) first vice president Dr Quamrul Hossain Chowdhury as employers' representative and RB Specialised Cold Storage Workers' Union president Mohammad Hasim Rob as workers' representative to the wage board.
When asked, Mozammel Hoque Choudhury, secretary of BCSA, confirmed that Quamrul Hossain Chowdhury died on May 21 last year.
He said they sent the representative's name a year back and the authority concerned did not hold any meeting before announcing the name.
On the other hand, the ministry official said it was the sector association's responsibility to inform the ministry about the death of their representative.
It was the sector's association which provided the name of the industry representative, the official added.
The government had fixed Tk 6,050 as monthly minimum wage for the industry last time in 2012, according to wage board officials.
The last wage board fixed Tk 3,500 as basic pay while house rent was fixed at Tk 1,750, medical allowance at Tk 500 and transport allowance at Tk 300, they added.
Munni_fe@yahoo.com