The government has formed a wage board to review the minimum wage for the workers of the country's tea sector, sources said.
The ministry of labour and employment issued a gazette notification on October 22, announcing the names of the representatives from workers and owners for recommending the minimum wage, they said.
The wage board consists of a chairman, one independent member, one each permanent representative from employers and workers while 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 Tahsin Ahmed Chowdhury, chief operating officer Estate, the Consuldated Tea and Land Co (Bangladesh) Ltd, as employers' representative and Ram Bhajan Koiry, general secretary of Bangladesh Tea Workers Union, as workers' representative to the wage board.
Industry people said there are 160 tea estates in Bangladesh, located in the north-eastern region of Moulvi Bazar, Habiganj and Sylhet, created employment for about 0.1 million workers.
The government had fixed TK 45 per day as minimum wage for the industry last time in 2010, they added.
Later, the daily wage of the workers was raised twice to Tk 99 a day amid workers' strike followed by signing agreements between the workers and owners.
A few months back, sources said, the workers' union submitted a memorandum to the tea garden owners, demanding Tk 260 as the minimum daily pay along with free accommodation and treatment facilities.
However, the workers' union would decide the amount to be placed before the wage board, they added.
