The Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) has proposed to the government to develop a national minimum wage and introduce a wage guarantee insurance scheme and a mandatory dispute resolution mechanism.
"On a national level, gradually move towards announcing a national minimum wage that will be temporarily applicable to all industries, including those of the informal sector, and are still to be covered under minimum wage board (MWB) regulations," CPD Senior Research Associate Tamim Ahmed said.
The insurance scheme should be formed with employers' contributions, which would ensure wage payment for the workers in case of failure to do so.
Mr. Ahmed made the recommendations on Sunday while presenting his keynotes at a discussion titled "Reform in workers' livelihood, workplace safety, and rights-related issues: An agenda for the interim government," organised at the CPD office in Dhaka in collaboration with Christian Aid.
His other proposals included creating a sector-wise guideline on how a worker will be promoted against a certain grade.
Speaking there, CPD Research Director Dr. Khandoker Golam Moazzem said, "We are not saying these recommendations must be actualised within a year. This is a short-term, medium-term, and long-term process."
But what they want this year to be declared labour reform year so that these reforms are expedited, he said adding the ministries and organisations that deal with labour must work in a coordinated manner.
The recommendations presented at the event. Among them, some are long-term, and some are short-term.
In the short term, CPD recommended incorporating provisions for children's education into the minimum wage structure, while minimum wages should be guaranteed for all types of contract-based workers, including those temporarily hired through third parties with legal provisions.
Other recommendations included setting all minimum wage structure allowances-such as the housing allowance-as a percentage of the basic salary rather than a fixed amount.
In the long term, all industries should be under the MWB coverage, prioritising sectors with a lower presence of trade unions, according to the recommendations.
