Labour leaders attended a national conference organised by Bangladesh Labour Federation (BLF) in the city on Tuesday. Labour leaders on Tuesday placed 12 demands, including ensuring all labourers’ rights to join trade union (TU), introducing democratic labour laws, and making the country’s existing labour laws applicable for the workers at Export Promotion Zones (EPZs) etc. Their other demands are increasing labour wage considering price hike of essential commodities, providing identity cards to workers, ensuring maternity leave and yearly leave facilities, and ensuring payment of adequate compensation to the labourers who will be victims of different kinds of industrial accidents. The labour leaders placed the demands at a national conference, organised by Bangladesh Labour Federation (BLF), said a press release. Chairman of BLF Shah Mohammad Abu Zafar, General Secretary of South Asian Regional Trade Union Council (SARTUC) Laxman Basnet and other federation leaders were present at the programme. Speaking at the conference, the SARTUC general secretary said workers have to be organised through trade unions to ensure their rights. He also said besides inclusion of all the workers to the trade unions regional and national co-operations have to be strengthened for ensuring due implementation of labour laws across South Asia region.
