Dhaka-19: 43 labour orgs place 6-point demand before candidates ahead of election

Fourty-three labour organisations working on garment workers' rights have placed a six-point charter of demands before candidates contesting the Dhaka-19 (Savar–Ashulia) constituency, calling for improved security, better living standards and the resolution of long-standing problems faced by garment workers in the industrial belt today (21 January).

The demands were announced at a press conference at the Savar Press Club auditorium. The event was organised by the Dhaka-19 (Savar–Ashulia) Workers' Demand Realisation Committee, formed through the coordination of the 43 labour organisations.

The charter was presented by Khairul Mamun Mintu, legal affairs secretary of the Bangladesh Garment and Sweater Workers Trade Union Centre and Coordinator of the Dhaka-19 Workers' Demand Realisation Committee. 

On behalf of the organisations, the six-point demands placed before candidates contesting the parliamentary seat are as follows:

• Construction of workers' colonies, government schools and colleges, day-care centres, playgrounds, and a 500-bed modern government hospital with a burn unit, in line with population needs and under government initiative.

• Immediate implementation of an effective drainage system to resolve chronic waterlogging.

• Installation of streetlights and CCTV cameras for workers' safety, along with adequate passenger shelters for weather protection during commuting.

• Strict action to curb all criminal activities, including jhut-related violence, drug trafficking and consumption, mugging and extortion.

• Introduction of factory-based rationing, fair price shops in all factories and family cards for workers, alongside strict enforcement of the House Rent Control Act to prevent arbitrary rent hikes.

• Initiatives in the next Parliament to present and implement the Labour Reform Commission's recommendations and SCOPE's nine-point demands, as proposed by the Workers' Rights National Advocacy Alliance.

Khairul Mamun Mintu said, "For a long time, we have been raising these demands before public representatives, including the construction of a 500-bed modern government hospital with a burn unit. Although promises have been made, none of them have been implemented."

He described it as an unfortunate reality that violence centred on the jhut trade, attacks on workers and industrial establishments, the use of workers in jhut-related businesses, drug trafficking and consumption, mugging and extortion have persisted in the area for years. 

He added that between 2005 and 2013, and in subsequent years, a series of tragic incidents including the Spectrum Garments building collapse, the Ha-Meem Garments fire, the Tazreen Fashions fire and the Rana Plaza collapse claimed the lives of an estimated 1,500 to 2,000 workers over the past two decades. 

A further 20,000 to 25,000 workers were injured and continue to live in inhumane conditions with their families.

Mintu further said that current wages earned by garment workers are barely sufficient to meet a family's minimum living needs. Unregulated rent increases and rising commodity prices, he noted, have deprived workers of access to medical treatment, nutritious food and their children's education.

Despite being a major industrial zone, he said, the area's roads are not suitable for safe public movement. The lack of proper drainage results in frequent waterlogging, forcing workers to commute through dirty water. 

The absence of adequate street lighting and CCTV cameras has also left workers vulnerable to muggings while returning home from work at night, while female workers face heightened risks of rape and sexual harassment.

He also highlighted the acute shortage of government healthcare facilities in an area that is home to a vast population, as well as the absence of adequate government schools, colleges, day-care centres and playgrounds for workers' children.

As a result, he said, workers on limited wages are unable to secure a stable future for their children.