STAFF CORRESPONDENT, Ctg

Workers engaged in the shipbreaking industry yesterday demanded a minimum monthly wage of Tk 36,000, citing years of inhumane pay structures and hazardous working conditions.

Tapan Dutta, convener of Shipbreaking Workers’ Trade Union Forum, raised the demand at a press conference to draw the attention of the government, wage board authorities and shipyard owners.

In a written statement, Dutta said the minimum wage of Tk 16,000 announced in 2018 for eight hours of daily work has not been properly implemented. Instead, some owners force workers to work 12 hours daily while claiming compliance with the minimum wage, which he described as a violation of labour law and a form of deception.

Bangladesh currently has one of the world’s leading shipbreaking industries, supplying around 60 percent of scrap iron used in the country’s construction sector, while employing 8,000–10,000 workers directly and supporting over 1,00,000 people indirectly, he said.

The forum also placed five additional demands, including effective labour inspections, establishment of a 50-bed hospital and workers’ housing in industrial areas, mandatory appointment and ID cards, annual wage revision in line with inflation, and compulsory wage payment through banks or mobile financial services.