Bangladesh has attained significant economic GDP during the past few decades. Presently, the country is advancing towards LDC graduation. Working people have played a major role in attainment of the GDP through their toil, skill and sacrifice. But it is unfortunate to mention that the standard of living of around seven and a half crore workers did not change a bit. Despite attainment of the commendable GDP, most of them still live under the poverty level. Now a growing discrimination is in sight which is posing a threat to social stability and human dignity. Instead of fulfilment of the dream of a respectable living, workers are being pushed towards much more uncertainty due to poor wage, job uncertainty and lack of social security as well as ongoing inflation.
Against the backdrop, an alliance titled ‘Shromik Odhiker Jatiyo Advocacy Alliance’ (Labour rights national advocacy alliance) has been formed to combat the deplorable situation. It is a collective platform of trade unions representing the country’s working people, labour rights organisations and their different unions, various organisations working for labour rights and welfare as well as the people working in those organisations have been brought under the fold of the Alliance.
It is well-known that working people have participated and shed blood in the Language Movement in 1952, Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971 and the mass movements of 1966, 1969 and 1990. Of late, the number of casualty of working people is greater than others in the anti-discrimination movement of 2024. At national level, workers have played a significant role in changing the state power and for strengthening the country’s economic foundation. In the July declaration of 2024 also a commitment has been given to fulfil the hopes and aspirations of the working people. In the meantime, 54 years have passed after the country’s independence. But the fruits of independence is yet to reach the working class people. Till now, over 80 percent working people have remained outside the legal protection.
The nation is now advancing with the promise of creating a country free from discrimination. Presently, the 13th Jatiya Sangsad (JS) election is knocking at the door. This time, the election will not an election merely to change the state power, rather it will be an election to build the country free from all sorts of discrimination. Keeping the national election in the forefront, Shromik Odhiker Jatiyo Advocacy Alliance has announced a 15-point declaration in the form of a booklet and distributed the same among the candidates of different political parties who want to participate in the upcoming national election. It has urged the political parties to incorporate the proposals in their polls manifesto.
The secretariat of the aforesaid Alliance is located in the office of the Bangladesh Institute of Labour Studies -BILS. BILS organised a ‘Meet the Press’ programme at a city hotel recently to make the journalists of print and electronic media aware about the proposals titled ‘Shromik Ishteher’ (workers’ manifesto)’. BNP Standing Committee member Nazrul Islam Khan, also the convener of the Alliance, read the Shromik Ishteher in the press conference urging the participating journalists to give its wide publicity.
The 15-point Shromik Ishteher is being mentioned here.
- Legal recognition of the workers making necessary amendment of the latest labour law.
- Ensure workers’ right to decent work.
- Ensure just wage of all types of workers so that they can lead a respectable life.
- Ensure workers’ safe and healthy atmosphere, increase the compensation in case of any accidental death or injuries of workers. Trial of the perpetrators and publish the investing reports.
- Introduce rationing system for workers and their housing facility, social protection and healthcare service.
- Ensure workers’ bargaining right.
- Encourage a culture of industrial relations and workers’ participation in development and policy formation as well as in social dialogue.
- Take administrative measures so that the workers can lodge complaints for violation of their right.
- Ensure equal right of all workers at their workplaces removing all types of harassment and discrimination. Enhance the maternity leave of female workers up to six months giving their full salary.
- Take necessary official measures for stopping the practice of child labour.
- Ensure accountability and transparency in labour-related organisations.
- Fair transformation in the backdrop of climate change and technological change, automation and 4th industrial revolution as well as combating social, environmental and human rights-related challenges.
- Take effective measures to ensure migrant workers’ right, security and social protection.
- Ensure the trade union right of the workers working in EPZ. Take steps for protecting the rights of workers and their skill development in case of foreign investment.
- Create a permanent national labour commission to resolve any labour-related crisis and ensure accountability in the labour administration system.
Syed Sultan Uddin Ahmed, executive director of BILS, who chaired the Labour Reform Commission formed by the interim government, also graced the Meet the Press event.
While speaking, Nazrul Islam Khan underscored the need for agitation through which the welfare of workers can be achieved. Syed Sultan Uddin Ahmed stated that seven and a half crore workers operate the country’s wheels of development. Despite being the partners of development, workers cannot share the fruits of development, he lamented. No political commitment is possible by ignoring the labour issues, he stressed.
The writer is a columnist. e-mail: [email protected]
