Findings of a research has recommended for聽reducing the minimum premium on 鈥楽urokkha Scheme鈥� and thus ensuring mandatory聽participation of organisations and owners in the scheme to have better聽outcomes.
The research findings were unveiled at a meeting at Shrama Bhaban in the聽capital on Monday organised by the Bangladesh Institute of Labour Studies (BILS)聽in support of Netherland-based Mondial FNB to make recommendations before聽the Labour Reform Commission on the role of the Universal Pension Scheme for聽ensuring social safety of readymade garment workers.
Bangladesh Labour Reform Commission chairman Syed Sultan Uddin Ahmed spoke at the聽meeting as chief guest with BILS vice-chairman Anwar Hossain was in the聽chair, said a press release.
Senior officials from various government departments, trade union leaders,聽representatives from owners, civil society representatives, researchers,聽representatives from national and international organisations also attended聽the meeting.
The research recommendations also included ensuring subsidies for increasing聽participation in the government schemes, enhancing the wages of the workers聽and thus increasing their interest for participating in the scheme,聽organising more awareness programme and training for the workers on the聽Universal Pension Scheme and its management, devising a communication聽strategy design and thus implement it for gaining trust of the workers and聽ensuring equal decent pension for all the private sector workers.
Deputy director of the research wing of BILS Monirul Islam highlighted the聽research findings.
Among the major challenges in the way of the universal pension scheme, the聽research findings showed that the low level of education of the workers was a聽major barrier against the fully automated and digitalized pension scheme.
Former labour secretary Mahfuzul Haque, National Pension Authority聽executive chairman Md Mohiuddin Khan, labour and employment ministry聽additional secretary Sakiun Nahar, Solidarity Centre, Bangladesh country聽programme director AKM Nasim, BILS executive council editor Shakil Akhter聽Chowdhury, its director Nazma Yasmin, Bangladesh Labour Federation executive聽director AKM Ashraf Uddin, Department of Labour director Shamima Sultana Bari聽spoke, among others, at the meeting.
M Mohiuddin Khan said that such聽research findings would help to ensure effective implementation of the聽pension scheme.
Syed Sultan Uddin Ahmed said that banks could be聽involved in the pension scheme while ensuring social security is the first聽priority of this reform commission.
After the meeting, the research report was handed over to the Labour Reform聽Commission chairman.
