Danish Ministry of Employment and the Ministry of Labour and Employment (MoLE) Bangladesh and is going to launch a strategic sector cooperation project on improving the health and safety of workers in Bangladesh through strengthening the labour authorities. Danish Minister for Employment J?rn Neergaard Larsen and Labour and Employment State Minister Muzibul Haque Chunnu will inaugurate the project on today (Tuesday) in the city. Danish Working Environment Authority, The Growth Counsellor of the Danish Embassy in Dhaka and the Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishment (DIFE) of Bangladesh will implement the project. The three- year cooperation between the two governments aims at supporting the capacity development of labour authorities focusing in particular on occupational safety and health (OSH) in the Ready Made Garment (RMG) sector. The project is part of a wider Danish support to improve the framework condition and productivity of RMG sector which will be decisive for achieving the government aspiration for Bangladesh to become a middle income country by 2021. The Labour Law 2013, outlines the general provision on all labour issue including OSH, the implementing rules of the Act were gazetted on Sep 15, 2015 and the private sector have to comply with this provision. The authorities control the compliance with the Act by inspection and support the employers and the workers activities in the field of OSH via information activities said Labour and Employment State Minister Muzibul Haque Chunnu. “Private sectors like Accord and Alliance also do inspections and we recruited some 280 inspectors and they have received basic training, transport and office equipment to build up their capacity for inspection activities in the field of OHS,” the Minister told The Daily Observer. We have also been constructing two occupational diseases specialised hospitals for workers’ treatment, he added. The project will help the private sector here through giving information and creating awareness and is expected to build up capacity of the DIFE including the inspectors to serve the public and to the political structures like the National OSH Council, the Danish Embassy in Dhaka officials said. The DIFE would monitor the cooperation of workers and employers by supporting the development of information materials and activities. The project will support the Department in their information activities and the inspection and enforcement effectiveness in all aspects and it could be further improved by standardising procedures or exploring effective tools for enforcement of the law. The Danish Minister is expected to inaugurate Nordic Embassy Chancery before leaving Dhaka onJanuary 21.
