Security guard minimum wage, overtime and bonus in Bangladesh

Private security companies in Bangladesh employ hundreds of thousands of guards. Their pay is set by a minimum wage for the security services sector, and their hours, overtime, leave and bonus by the Bangladesh Labour Act 2006 and the Labour Rules 2015. This is what a payroll has to get right.

The wage grade for a guard

The security services minimum wage was gazetted on 6 June 2021. As reported in the press, a guard (grade 4) has a basic of ৳5,600, house rent of 50% of basic in divisional cities and city corporations (40% elsewhere), a medical allowance of ৳100 and transport of ৳400 in cities (৳300 elsewhere). Reports give the minimum total as ৳9,800 in cities and ৳9,140 elsewhere, which is more than the listed parts add up to, so check the gazette for the full breakdown. Basic is reported to rise by 5% a year.

In practice many guards are paid ৳8,000 to ৳12,000 and work 12-hour duties. A 12-hour duty is an 8-hour day plus 4 hours of overtime, and should be paid that way.

Hours and overtime

• Normal hours: 8 a day and 48 a week. With overtime, no more than 10 a day and 60 a week on average.
• Overtime is paid at twice the ordinary rate of basic wage.
• The usual hourly basic is the monthly basic divided by 208 (26 days of 8 hours). A basic of ৳5,600 gives ৳26.92 an hour, so ৳53.85 for each overtime hour.
• One weekly holiday.

Leave

Casual leave 10 days a year, sick leave 14 days, earned leave of one day for every 18 days worked, and festival holidays. A guard on leave still has a post to cover: plan relief guards for it.

Festival bonus

Workers with a year of continuous service get two festival bonuses a year, each no more than one month's basic. Most companies pay them before the two Eids.

Deductions

Absence can be deducted in proportion to the days missed. Recoveries for advances, loans and lost equipment should be agreed and recorded, and total deductions kept within half the wages.

How Ovelit Guard applies this

Every rule above is a setting with these defaults. Payroll is drafted from attendance: overtime past the rostered shift (or past 8 hours, your choice), extra duties, festival bonus after the qualifying service, absences pro rata, and recoveries capped at half the wages. Try the numbers in the guard salary calculator.