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Download PDF Chief Adviser (CA) Fakhruddin Ahmed on Thursday urged the employers to ensure fair wages for workers, timely payment, well-defined work-hours and safe and healthy working environment.
He hoped that the employers would be active in upholding the workers’ dignity, enquire about their welfare and maintain direct communication with them as much as possible for maintaining cordial industrial relations.
In a set of guidelines for both sides, the CA also urged the workers to remain conscious about their just rights and not to indulge in chaos on rumours.
The head of the caretaker government made the call while addressing a function marking the May Day at Osmani Memorial Auditorium organised by the Ministry of Labour and Employment. He also inaugurated a three-day May Day fair at the same venue.
He expressed his firm expectation that the country would be able to attain an accountable, and sustainable state system with the support and active cooperation of civil-military administration and the countrymen.
He urged all to work together to establish a progressive, welfare and meaningful democratic state to materialise the dream of the great Liberation War.
A total of 44 institutions are participating in the three-day May Day Fair 2008, arranged to add productive festivity to the May Day celebrations.
The CA also unwrapped the cover of multimedia documentation titled ‘Made in Bangladesh’ prepared by BGMEA and the labour and employment ministry to project country’s world-class products in the outer world.
Labour and Employment Adviser M Anwarul Iqbal, Director of ILO area office Dhaka Panudda Boonpala, President of Bangladesh Employers Federation Kamran T Rahman as representative of the owners, Umme Salma Parveen as representative of workers, and Labour Director Shyamol Kanti Ghosh also spoke at the function presided over by Mahfujul Huq, acting secretary to the labour and employment ministry.
Workers and owners, chiefs of the three services, distinguished personalities and senior civil and military officials were present at the function.
The CA observed that in a labour-intensive populous country like Bangladesh improvement of the nation’s fate is largely interlinked with change of fortune of the working-class people. So the government is giving highest priority to ensuring basic rights of the working people in all spheres.
He said it is impracticable to keep the wheels of development moving without ensuring the just interests and welfare of those who are putting direct contribution to production and development.
“So the government is working to expand the scope of labour welfare as major precondition for advancement of industrialisation,” he told the function.
On readymade garment industry, the highest export earner for the country, the CA noted that recent incidents of labour unrest and chaos in the sector gave rise to question in the external world about the image of the country and owners’ attitude to workers.
In this context, the head of the interim government categorically said there should be no scope for excuses in full implementation of the tripartite agreement among the government, owners and workers.
He said the government is making all-out efforts to ensure “decent work” environment at workplaces and make them child labour and discrimination-free apart from ensuring health and security of the workers.
The CA said the government is giving compliance issue in garment sector highest priority and he directed the labour ministry to be more active and responsible in ensuring compliance properly at each factory.
He noted that a healthy worker community is big national wealth of the country and one of the main focal points to attract local and foreign investment. This labour force will have to be involved in the mainstream of development.
Terming workers and owners as complementary to each other, he said it is essential to maintain mutual respect and cordiality between the workers and owners by any means for development of industry-factory, trade and commerce and increased production.
He said the matter of maintaining peace and stability at industrial enterprises and labour unrest should be seen and analysed with positive attitude and “all should come out from the culture of exchanging blames”.
On behalf of government, businessmen, industrialists and workers, the CA requested all concerned to carry out responsibility maintaining discipline, honesty, sincerity and intimacy in everybody’s respective sphere to further smoothen the path of advances in the competitive
world.
On trade union, he said the role of effective, strong and well-disciplined trade union organisation is undeniable in establishing permanent peace and good industrial relations.
He called upon the leaders of trade unions to take wisely more realistic activities evaluating national and international situation for the country’s industrialisation and attaining the rights of workers.
Mentioning the country’s time-worthy Labour Law and close monitoring of its implementation, he said one’s right can not be ensured only by formulating laws, and rules and regulations or by the single effort of the government–it needs confidence and respect to law by all concerned and commitment of all for its application.
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