The government has announced a 102 per cent hike in minimum monthly wages to Tk 10,520 for the workers of fishing trawlers.
Earlier in 2015, the government had fixed Tk 5,200 as the minimum monthly wages for them.
A 5.0 per cent annual increment on the basic pay has also been announced for the sector. On November 28, the labour and employment ministry issued a gazette notification to this effect.
Earlier, the minimum wage board, formed for the sector in March 2021, finalised its proposal recommending Tk 10,520 as the minimum wages and sent it to the labour ministry on June 14 this year.
According to the new wage structure, the ministry has incorporated seven grades for fishing trawler workers and minimum monthly wage for the workers in grade-seven has been set at Tk 10,520.
The basic payment for a grade seven worker has been set at TK 6,800, up from Tk 3,400.
They will get Tk 2,720 and Tk 1,000 as house rent and medical allowance respectively.
The gross monthly minimum wages for the workers of grade six and five have been set at Tk 13,600 with Tk 9,000 as basic pay and at Tk 16,050 with Tk 10,750 as basic pay respectively.
According to the gazette notification, minimum monthly wages for the workers of grade four has been set at Tk 19,200, for grade three at Tk 23,120, for grade two at Tk 24,800 and for grade one at Tk 26,340.
An apprentice fishing trawler worker will get Tk 7,000 as gross monthly wage, according to the notification.
More than 200 commercial fishing trawlers with around 5,000 trained workers are involved in marine fishing in Bangladesh, according to official data.
