Recently, the government established a five-member wage board to determine a new minimum salary for tannery workers in Bangladesh. However, industry sources claim that not a single representative from among the workers was included in the board. They further allege that the previous wage board, finalized in 2018, has not been put into effect.
Tannery workers play a crucial role in the leather and leather goods industry, which is the country’s second-highest export earner after the garments sector. Mr. Abul Kalam Azad, president of the Tannery Workers’ Union (TWU), emphasized the absence of worker representation in the newly formed board and called for a reshuffle to include a member from their union. The 4th wage board, published in a gazette on February 27, 2018, stipulated a minimum salary of Tk 13,500 for tannery workers.
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