Garment workers are set to get Tk 5 lakh upon their retirement or in case of industrial accidents once the government implements a rule in December, said Mujibul Haque Chunnu, state minister for labour and employment.Of the amount, Tk 3 lakh will come from the Workers’ Welfare Fund (WWF) created last year for the garment sector and Tk 2 lakh from the insurance scheme for workers, Chunnu said.The government formed the WWF last year for the benefit of garment workers, who get Tk 1 lakh in case of any industrial accident.Every garment exporter has to deposit 0.03 percent from their total earnings from shipments abroad in a year to the WWF. The exporters started contributing to the fund from July.The government will also launch a provident fund for workers of all sectors so that they can draw a handsome amount after their retirement.The minister did not specify when the provident fund will be launched.Chunnu also urged the factory owners to play an active role in strengthening workplace safety as it is not the responsibility of the government only.“The workers work for the benefit of their owners, so it is the primary responsibility of the owners to ensure a secured and safe workplace,” he said, while citing the example of Tampaco Foils Ltd, where workers died owing to the laxity of the owner.The minister also suggested the factory owners share 5 percent of their profits with employees as the provision is stated in the labour law.The government also plans to eliminate child labour from hazardous works by 2021 and from all sectors by 2025, Chunnu said.Child labour has been eliminated from the garment sector a lot earlier; its presence is noticed in other sectors but the number is a lot less now, according to the minister.In 2003, there were 34 lakh child labourers in different sectors, but in 2013 the number came down to 17 lakh. Nobody can employ any child under the age of 12 in any hazardous work as per the labour law.The minister was speaking at the agreement signing ceremony of the third phase of the Essentials of Occupational Safety and Health (EOSH) project, held at the office of the Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Dhaka.EOSH is an innovative training package developed by the International Labour Organisation’s International Training Centre in Turin of Italy.It is being delivered by the Bangladesh Employers’ Federation (BEF) with the support of the ILO and funding from Canada, the Netherlands and the UK.Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association, and Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association are also supporting the training. The launch marks the third phase of an initiative that has seen a core group of 114 master trainers from BEF, BGMEA, BKMEA and garment factories train 8,038 managers and supervisors from the apparel sector on occupational health and safety.In the latest phase, this group will go on and build awareness of key occupational health and safety issues among the 8 lakh workers in 585 factories by June 2017.Safety in the workplace is a major priority for the government of Bangladesh. This training will contribute greatly to that goal as both workers and employers will benefit from improved safety practices,” Chunnu said.The training for workers covers seven priority areas for the garment sector — fire safety; electrical safety; trips, slips, falls and good housekeeping; dangerous substances; ergonomics; personal protective equipment; and first aid.In addition to the EOSH training, the initiative will also see 585 company representatives be oriented to the formation of safety committees at the factory level. The goal is to establish 110 functioning safety committees at the company level by January 2017. Safe work environment is a priority for the BEF, said its Vice-president Golam Mainuddin.All parties should work together to implement occupational health and safety measures at the workplace in accordance with the related laws and provisions of the country, he added.ILO Country Director Srinivas Reddy re-emphasised the recent comments of ILO Director General Guy Ryder, who in the aftermath of the recent Tampaco Foils fire highlighted that there could be no room for complacency and the need to create a stronger culture of preventative safety in all industrial sectors. Benoît-Pierre Laramée, Canadian high commissioner, and Siddiqur Rahman, BGMEA president, also spoke.
