26 August, 2024Considering the changed political situation in Bangladesh after the toppling of the discredited Sheikh Hasina’s government, IndustriALL affiliates in the country extends support to the interim government and laid out their demands and expectations from the advisor to the ministry of labour and employment as well as seek to hold dialogue with the interim government.
Affiliates in Bangladesh have strongly condemned the brutal killings of those involved in the recent protests in the country. Trade unions have called on the interim government to conduct judicial investigation of the killings and ensure that harsh punishments are meted out to those found guilty, through a fair trial. Unions have urged the government to ensure that families of all victims are adequately compensated as well as rehabilitated.
In addition, union leaders have demanded that all factories, including garment factories, be immediately reopened and workers be paid back wages for the period that the factories were closed. Unions have also called for the withdrawal of all legal cases filed against garment workers involved in the minimum wage protest last year as well as the elimination of blacklisting workers in the recruitment process across various factories.
Affiliates also took the opportunity to press for their longstanding demands pertaining to minimum wage, anti-worker labour law amendments, trade union rights in export processing zones and decent working conditions in factories, among others. Unions are demanding that the minimum wage be replaced by living wage which is inflation adjusted as well as a subsidised food grain, under public distribution system, be introduced for garment workers on an urgent basis.
Union leaders have also stressed the need to urgently address the country’s high unemployment rate and climate change related concerns. Currently, Bangladesh is experiencing massive flooding that has affected over a million people. The demand to ensure a Just Transition in the country as well as proper implementation of the International Labour Organization’s Roadmap also continues to remain high on unions’ agenda.
A.M. Nazim Uddin, president of the IndustriALL Bangladesh Council says:
“We extend our heartiest welcome to the interim government. We hope to work together with the government to ensure that justice and democracy prevails in the country. We have written to the honourable advisor in the ministry of labour and employment to meet with us so that we can discuss the deplorable conditions of garment workers in the country and together chart out a course of action to ensure workers’ lives and workers’ rights are protected.”
IndustriALL assistant general secretary, Kemal Özkan, says:
“Amidst the political transition in Bangladesh, it is imperative that the interim government engages in meaningful dialogue with trade unions to address the pressing issues facing workers. The brutal suppression of protests and the ongoing challenges in the industrial sectors underscore the urgent need for justice, fair wages, better health and safety and improved working conditions. The interim government must collaborate with our affiliates to ensure that the rights and livelihoods of workers are protected and that the path toward a just and equitable future is firmly established.”
Photo: Shutterstock