Workers being deprived of fair wage

Workers have been deprived of a fair share of the country’s development as they are still not being paid proper wages, labour leaders yesterday told Debapriya Bhattacharya, head of a committee preparing a white paper on the state of the economy.
“Labour leaders claimed that the measures put in place to protect workers’ interests, such as housing and maternity benefits, are inadequate,” he said after meeting labour leaders at the Planning Commission in Dhaka.
The meeting was a part of a series of dialogues that the 12-member committee was holding with stakeholders.
Bhattacharya, also a distinguished fellow of the Centre for Policy Dialogue, said workers also alleged that there are no proper arrangements for their welfare, pointing to a lack of a provident fund.
He added that workers faced pressure when it came to forming trade unions although the law stipulates that they be allowed to do so without any hindrance.
Labour leaders informed the committee that many industrial units had been closed and no proper initiatives had been taken to reopen them, he added.
In many cases, government regulations are being violated due to the influence of large, vested groups, Bhattacharya said.
Besides, labour leaders demanded to make Bangladesh’s labour laws consistent with international laws.
Bhattacharya said the workers’ concerns would be considered during the formulation of the white paper.