Workers living standards need to be improved for economic uplift

The International Trade Union Confederation’s (ITUC’s) global rights index 2023 has highlighted the fragile condition of the working class people in Bangladesh. The report also exposed Bangladesh as one of the ‘worst’ ten countries for the working class around the world. The other nine countries on the list are Belarus, Ecuador, Egypt, Eswatini, Guatemala, Myanmar, Tunisia, Philippines and Turkey.
This worldwide trade union body has prepared the report based on a total of 149 countries this time. Regressive laws, obstruction to form unions and violence of law enforcement members against the workers have been cited as the reasons behind these uncertainties of the workers. Though in limited scale, workers have had the right to form organisations, they don’t have the right to form trade unions inside the eight export processing zones (EPZ). There are more than 4.5 million workers employed only in readymade garments factories, the country’s largest industrial sector. While the work environment of the garments industry has improved a bit following the Rana Plaza collapse on 24 April, 2013, conditions in the majority of the sectors are terrible.
According to the report, there are no alternatives to improve workers’ interests as well as improving their living standards as the policymakers are dreaming of a developed and prosperous economy. But, it added, the labour act Bangladesh introduced back in 2006 is not enough to protect workers’ interests. When there was a workers’ unrest at Prince Jacquard Sweater Limited in Gazipur on June 25, prior to the Eid, for the salary-allowance remaining unpaid, Bangladesh Garment and Industrial Workers Federation leader Shahidul Islam went there to discuss the issue with them. He became the victim of an ambush on his way back. Later he died while undergoing treatment at the hospital. There are allegations that the police have been delaying the arrest of the accused in Shahidul murder case.
We are lagging behind in many international indexes. But that does not excuse being on the list of ten ‘worst’ countries in any possible way. If we want to really lead the country on the highway of development, it’s important to improve workers’ interest and their living standards too.