The government has set Tk 10,520 ($105) as the minimum monthly wage for fishing trawler workers. Earlier in 2015, the government established a minimum monthly pay of Tk 5,200 ($52) for them. After seven years, a 102% increase in the minimum monthly payment has therefore been announced.
The Labour Ministry issued a gazette notice on November 28 announcing the salary structure suggested by the minimum wage board. Previously, the sector’s minimum wage board finished its proposal suggesting Tk10,520 as the minimum salary. On June 14, 2022, it sent its recommendation to the Labour Ministry.
Approximately 215 commercial fishing trawlers and 49 ice trawlers with wooden bodies fish at depths greater than 40 meters. In addition to these larger trawlers, around 65,000 small mechanized and non-mechanized artisanal boats engage in shallow-water fishing. About 5,000 trained workers are catching marine fish in Bangladesh.
In the newly announced pay structure, the ministry has included seven categories for fishing trawler industrial sector workers. The gross monthly minimum wage has been set for grade seven, Six, four, three, two, and one is Tk 10,520, 13,600, 19,200, 23,120, 24,800, and 26,340, respectively.
Of the total, TK 10,520 allowed for grade seven includes Tk6,800 as basic pay, 40% of the basic pay (Tk2,720) as house rent and Tk1,000 as medical allowance. And for grade six, Tk13,600 includes Tk9,000 as basic pay, while for grade five, Tk16,050 includes Tk10,750 as basic pay.
Previously the employees reported receiving a lower income than the government-declared gazette and added that the company does not pay according to the government scale. Furthermore, there is no yearly increment for this position. The salary is modest relative to the cost of living, food, and other necessities.
Moreover, workers on industrial trawlers lack a service book and appointment card, and there is no formal agreement between the workers and the company. At the moment of hiring, an application containing the date and other details is the most important document to organizations for employee data. The workers stated, “We cannot show that we are a member of this trawler’s crew, and the company has the right to terminate my employment at any moment.”
A recent survey by Manusher Jonno Foundation (MJF) and BILS showed that Two out of three workers lacked appointment letters. 72% of employees did not get payslips, and those who get them did not have a record of their working hours. Approximately 75% of manufacturing workers tended to work extra hours. 49% of workers said that they did not get personal protective equipment. According to 63% of workers, women do not receive equal compensation for equal effort. In addition, they are required to remain on the shoreline for a total of 87 days every year — from May 20 to July 23 and from October 1 to October 22 — due to a government-imposed prohibition on deep-sea fishing in order to boost reproduction.
Md. Shakil Akhter Chowdhury, General Secretary of the Bangladesh Labour Federation, stated that fish workers account for 12 per cent of our overall employment and around two crore people depend on this occupation for a living. The fishing industry contributes 3.5% to our GDP; therefore, we can no longer ignore it.
According to the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock, the total catch from marine finishing increased 1.51 per cent annually to 6.81 million tonnes in the fiscal year 2020-21, up from 671,104 tonnes in the previous fiscal year. In the fiscal year 2020-21, marine fishing accounted for around 14.74 per cent of the nation’s total fish output of 4,621,228 tonnes.
Experts believe the salary increase will have a good effect and enhance the status of trawler workers. And over time, this wage boost will contribute to the formalization of the fishing industry.
Jaber Bin Abdul Bari
Dept. of Fisheries and Marine Science, NSTU
