BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi on Friday said a standard national minimum wage has yet to be established in Bangladesh.
He made the remarks while addressing a May Day rally organised by Sramik Dal at Nayapaltan in the capital.
Rizvi, also the political affairs adviser to the prime minister, said that although minimum wages exist across different sectors, a unified national benchmark remains absent.
He noted that the concept of minimum wage dates back more than a century, referring to German Chancellor Bismarck as one of its early advocates.
He said labour rights movements worldwide have contributed to the development of minimum wage systems, but Bangladesh still lacks a standardised national framework.
The BNP leader expressed hope that Prime Minister Tarique Rahman would give due attention to the issue.
He also said that around 27,500 cases involving workers are pending in labour courts and tribunals without resolution.
Rizvi further called for exploring the reopening of closed jute mills through a national policy, saying such initiatives could generate employment for a large number of workers and better utilise domestic resources.
