Enhanced safety, better working conditions demanded for Ctg shipbreaking workers
In observance of “Decent Work Day”, rally and human chain organised in Sitakunda
Leaders of the shipbreaking workers' trade bodies in Chattogram have called for improvement of working conditions and enhanced safety measures for workers within the industry.
At a programme marking "World Day for Decent Work", organised by the Shipbreaking Workers Trade Union Forum, at the Baroawlia area of Sitakunda on Friday, they also urged the government to take immediate steps to protect workers' rights and promote a dignified and just life for all involved in the shipbreaking industry.
The programme included a human chain and a rally, with Tapan Dutta, president of the Bangladesh Trade Union Centre's Chattogram district chapter and convener of the forum, in the chair. Fazlul Kabir Mintur, coordinator of the Shipbreaking Workers' Occupational Health and Safety Information Centre, among others, addressed the rally.
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They outlined the ongoing challenges faced by workers in the industry.
One of the key concerns raised was a recent report revealing that 14 heavy metals, harmful to the human body, were detected in the blood of seven workers injured in a shipyard accident on 7 September at SN Corporation.
The findings underscore the severe health risks workers are currently exposed to, and the leaders of the workers' bodies called for immediate action to address these hazards.
They also highlighted that, on average, 15 to 16 workers die annually in the industry, with many more suffering serious injuries, often without compensation or paid leave during their recovery.
Their other demands included immediate declaration of a minimum living wage, provision of employment letters, identity cards, and service books for all workers, along with guaranteed paid leave.
They also urged the government to uphold workers' rights to form trade unions, as outlined by ILO Conventions 87 and 98, and to introduce a rationing system to provide workers with essential goods at fair prices.
Further demands included the establishment of training institutes to ensure workers are properly skilled and certified, and the creation of a database to track trained workers.
