Govt to define informal sector: Mosharraf
Monday, 13 April 2009
Labour, Manpower, Employment and Expatriate Welfare Minister Engineer Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain Sunday said the government would take an initiative to define the informal sector, reports BSS.
"With the legal steps, we will try to include the informal sector in the labour law which represents 80 per cent of the total labour force including female agri labourers," said the minister while addressing a seminar on 'agri-labour law' as the chief guest at Jatiya Press Club in the city.
Organised by Karmajibi Nari (KN) and Manusher Jonnyo Foundation (MJF), the seminar was chaired by executive director Shaheen Anam.
Noted economist Dr QK Ahmed, Khushi Kabir of Nijera Kori, labour leader Mukhlesur Rahman and Shamsuzzman Selim of Bangladesh Khetmajur Samity, among others, addressed the seminar.
KN President Shirin Akther moderated the seminar while Rahela Rabbani presented the keynote.
The minister said the government was trying to increase the number of expatriate Bangladeshis to 10 million (1 crore) from the present number of 6.5 million, which was not a Herculean task if everything goes according to the plan.
Engineer Mosharraf said, instead of manpower agents, lists of eligible workers should be prepared by union parishads to avoid harassment and other types of humiliation, including under payments.
The government has taken an epoc-making decision to establish a wage earners bank to support foreign employment seekers to secure them from selling their land or homesteads, he said.
A proper planning is not possible without a proper statistics of the number of the total labour force of the country, the minister said adding that knowing the exact number of the labour force both in formal and informal sectors is important.
Engineer Mosharraf said the women folk in the rural areas were doing 19 types of agri-related work out of 23 activities. But it is unfortunate that the female agri-labourers are yet to be properly recognised.
He said a tremendous social change has taken place through participation of women in different jobs in recent years. Women cyclists or motorcyclists in the villages are not a rare picture, he added.
"With the legal steps, we will try to include the informal sector in the labour law which represents 80 per cent of the total labour force including female agri labourers," said the minister while addressing a seminar on 'agri-labour law' as the chief guest at Jatiya Press Club in the city.
Organised by Karmajibi Nari (KN) and Manusher Jonnyo Foundation (MJF), the seminar was chaired by executive director Shaheen Anam.
Noted economist Dr QK Ahmed, Khushi Kabir of Nijera Kori, labour leader Mukhlesur Rahman and Shamsuzzman Selim of Bangladesh Khetmajur Samity, among others, addressed the seminar.
KN President Shirin Akther moderated the seminar while Rahela Rabbani presented the keynote.
The minister said the government was trying to increase the number of expatriate Bangladeshis to 10 million (1 crore) from the present number of 6.5 million, which was not a Herculean task if everything goes according to the plan.
Engineer Mosharraf said, instead of manpower agents, lists of eligible workers should be prepared by union parishads to avoid harassment and other types of humiliation, including under payments.
The government has taken an epoc-making decision to establish a wage earners bank to support foreign employment seekers to secure them from selling their land or homesteads, he said.
A proper planning is not possible without a proper statistics of the number of the total labour force of the country, the minister said adding that knowing the exact number of the labour force both in formal and informal sectors is important.
Engineer Mosharraf said the women folk in the rural areas were doing 19 types of agri-related work out of 23 activities. But it is unfortunate that the female agri-labourers are yet to be properly recognised.
He said a tremendous social change has taken place through participation of women in different jobs in recent years. Women cyclists or motorcyclists in the villages are not a rare picture, he added.