Drivers of light vehicles, including sedans and microbuses, urged the government to form a wage board with a minimum Tk25,000 monthly wage for them, amid rising daily commodities' prices and steep living costs.
The Dhaka District Taxi, Taxi Car, Auto-tempo, Auto-rickshaw Drivers and Workers' Union put forward the demand at a protest rally recently.
Their demands include ensuring rights recognized by the labour law, providing appointment letter and identity card for private car drivers, ensuring welfare benefits including food allowance and effective role of the department of labour to implement the labour law.
Ahsan Habib Bulbul, general secretary of the union, said a continued price hike of essential commodities made their lives miserable.
"We demand to form a wage board and immediate action to implement all rights mentioned in the labour law," he said.
He also said there were more than 500,000 light vehicle drivers in the capital.
Most of them are deprived of rights, stipulated in labour law, including daily working hours, weekly and yearly earned leaves, job security and compensation, he also said.
Ahsan Habib Bulbul further said the state did not take any responsibility to realize the due wages upon termination of drivers by the vehicle owners.
Speakers at the rally asked why should the drivers obey the laws when no government agency takes responsibility for realizing unpaid wages and other dues of the drivers?
They demanded immediate appointment of an authority responsible for implementation of labour rights including realization of legal dues of drivers and workers who are not given appointment letters.