Labour rights must be ensured

Historic May Day is the day of establishing workers’ rights, sparked off by a movement in Chicago on 1 May 1886. A number of labourers laid down their lives demanding an eight-hour workday. Since then May Day is observed in remembrance of their sacrifices.

When the day is being observed in 2019, it cannot be said that the labourers around the globe including Bangladesh are in good shape. Despite the swelling of global wealth, the fate of the labourers has not changed much. A handful of people possess most of the wealth ad Bangladesh is no exception. The government pledged to ensure rightful wages of the workers and a safe working environment, stopping child labour in industries and equipping people with skills. But the pledge is yet to be implemented.

The wage of readymade garments workers is low though the work environment has improved significantly after the Rana Plaza tragedy. Though Bangladesh is second in RMG exports, the labourers’ demands remain unfulfilled in the new wage structure. Unrest simmers. The industrialists should remember that higher wages enhances productivity.

The situation at state-owned factories is also worrying. The labourers of state-owned jute mills enforced strikes twice a few days ago to realise their dues and increase their wages but the government has not met the demand. It said that they could not increases wages and the industry was facing losses. But the people concerned should know that the management is responsible for the loss, not the workers.

The labourers who work in the informal sector in Bangladesh are the biggest victims of inequality. They work for more than eight hours though the labourers staged movement for eight-hour workday at Hay market. They do not have job security. Another bad news is that many jobless expatriate workers are being forced to return home while the scope for new labourers abroad decreased drastically. The demand has fallen abroad as the government failed to equip the workers with the required skills.

The labourers in Bangladesh are victims of wage discrepancy though the labour rights, including wage, work environment and other benefits around the globe gone through changes following the footsteps of May Day. Except one or two sectors, the work environment is also risky, especially in ship breaking and construction work. At the same time, many industries do not pay rightful wages to labourers though it forces them to work beyond work hours. This is a clear violation of the law. The government needs to act on it. The 80 per cent of the RMG workers who are women are not secure. Harassment has increased in various sectors including in public transport.

The observance of May Day will be successful only when the labourers are ensured of their rightful wages and safe working environment. The owners have to realise, the development of economy or industry cannot be ensured by cheating the workers. Let the rights of the workers be established in Bangladesh and other countries of the world. This is our call on May Day.