A cross section of people including leaders of garment workers, researchers, teachers and cultural activists on Sunday demanded that the newly formed interim government should work for ensuring basic rights of garment workers.
They said that the government, during its time, should set a new standard for improving the quality of life for all workers, especially workers of the garment sector, which is the leading source of the country鈥檚 export income.
At a discussion titled Garments Workers鈥� Expectations from the Interim Government, organised by Bangladesh Garment Sramik Samhati at the National Press Club in the capital, speakers also demanded special initiatives to protect workers, industries and factories.
Bangladesh Garment Sramik Samhati president Taslima Akhter chaired the discussion and read a written statement placing an 11-point demand.
The demands included ensuring justice for killing garment workers and all other killings, withdrawal of all false and repressive cases against garment worker鈥檚 leaders and workers of the movement for increased wages in 2023 and reforming the minimum wage board with representatives of workers and reconsideration of the demand for a minimum wage of Tk 25,000.
Taslima also demanded taking initiative to provide rations to workers, assurance of workers鈥� rights to organise, form unions, hold rallies, meetings and express opinions freely and accountability for the industrial police, establishing proper day-care centres for children of the workers with the extension of maternity leave from four to six months and establishing proper anti-sexual harassment cells in factories.聽聽聽
Besides, the demands also included assurance of a safe working environment in factories, assurance of housing, healthcare, education for the children of garment workers and a justified retirement pension for them, assurance of dignified compensation for workers, government鈥檚 role to ensure accountability for both factory owners and buyers and bringing an end to harassment of workers through 鈥榖lacklisting鈥� and arbitrarily termination.
Echoing the demands, Garment Sramik Oikya Forum general secretary Shahidul Islam Sabuj said that effective steps must be taken to ensure all the basic rights of garment workers by the interim government, which has been formed after a student-led mass upsurge forcing Sheikh Hasina to resign and flee to India.
Garment worker Aklima said that existing wages for garment workers was not realistic and their voices would never be heard if their right to organise could not be ensured.
Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology professor Abdul Hasib Chowdhury, development researcher Shima Das Shimu, Garment Sramik Trade Union Kendra central leader Sadekur Rahman Shamim, writer Navine Murshid and cultural activist Reetu Sattar, among others, were present at the session.聽聽