Labour rights organisations and unions will observe the May Day in Bangladesh. Our workers, who stay ignored throughout the year, get some attention on this day.
On May 01 in 1886 and the following days, several workers sacrificed their lives in violence and police firing. They took part in demonstration in the US city of Chicago near Hay Market demanding an eight-hour work day instead of a 12-hour shift. On the height of agitation, the authorities had to accept the workers' demand and the eight-hour work day was introduced.
While the day is observed in Bangladesh with much festivity, the labour laws and acts of the nation do not reflect the spirit of this historic day. In 2006, Bangladesh government enacted the Labour Act, 2006. Though this act is expected to play an important role in securing workers' rights in Bangladesh, it does not include workers of all sectors. This act states the definition of workers but it does not include a large number of workers -- domestic workers, agriculture workers, and construction workers. The law classifies workers into several categories and that gives some employers flexibility to resort to hiring of non-regular workers (i.e., apprentice, casual, badli, probationary, temporary) to escape payment of various employee benefits and avoid unionism.
The welfare and severance benefits are mentioned in the law but are rarely arranged in both formal and informal sector. The Labour Act enumerates various welfare facilities like first aid kit, washing facilities, canteen, shelters, children's room, housing facilities in tea plantation etc. If we talk to workers, a large number of them would respond that they are not provided with any of these facilities.
In the construction sector, for example, very few would say that they have first-aid kits. There is no formal body in the factories or workplace to ensure that workers are given their entitled facilities.
Child labour is totally prohibited in the labour law but we observe children are engaged in various labour- intensive work, and they are also seriously exploited in many cases.
Md Zillur Rahaman
Satish Sarker Road
Gandaria, Dhaka
zrbbbp@gmail.com