On April 28, the IUF Food and Beverage Workers Council-Bangladesh, Bangladesh Agricultural Farm Workers Federation and National Women Farmers & Workers Association held a workers’ rally and demonstration in Dhaka to remember those who suffered from work-related deaths, injury and illness, including the unreported deaths of the unknown workers. The unions called for action to ensure the fundamental right to health and safety is fully realized for all food, farm and agricultural workers in both the formal and informal sectors.
Below is the full text of the press release:
Observance of International Workers’ Memorial Day-2024
One minute’s silence in memory of workers killed at work.
“International Workers’ Memorial Day-2023” has been marked to demand comprehensive measures to protect workers ensuring their fundamental occupational health and safety rights guaranteed in ILO Convention No.155.
Today, April 28, to mark “International Workers’ Memorial Day-2024”, IUF Food and Beverage Workers Council-Bangladesh, Bangladesh Agricultural Farm Workers Federation and National Women Farmers & Workers Association jointly organized workers’ rally & demonstration in front of the National Press Club, Dhaka. From the demonstration one minute’s silence was also observed in memory of the known unknown workers killed and injured at work. The rally called for comprehensive action to ensure workers’ fundamental right to health and safety guaranteed by ILO Convention 155 for the protection of workers that includes setting up tripartite monitoring committee, real risk management with active participation of workers representation, enacting ILO Convention 155 implementation law etc.
In the rally, the workers leaders from various unions complained that the employers’ priority is making more profit from a hazardous unsafe work than on saving lives at work. Work-related injuries, illness, disease and deaths grows as most workplaces continue to have unsafe and dangerous environments, increase precarious work arrangement and have no proper representation of workers. Speakers also said that apart from industrial workers, millions of agricultural workers, self-employed workers and small and marginal farmers are facing deadly health risks due to extreme weather caused by climate change. Work-related deaths, injury or illness of these great number of unrecognized workforces in informal economy in most cases remain hidden and are not known.
ILO C.155 recognized that safe and healthy working environment is a fundamental right of workers and it is the employer’s obligation to ensure a safe workplace whereas government’s responsibility is to monitor whether the employer has ensured safety for all workers. From the rally it is reaffirmed to continue calling for an end to the killing of workers at workplaces and demanding strict punishment for employers who fail to provide a safe working environment for workers.
Among others President of NEU Md. Abdul Mannan, IUF Asia Pacific National officer Nasrin Sultana, Prominent labour leader Abul Hossain, General Secretary of BAFLF Golam Sorowor, President of NEFA Leela Khanom, President of PvM EU Md. Kamrul Hasan, General Secretary of Coca-Cola Employees Union Md. Mokhleshur Rahman Khokan, Joint General Secretary of SMC EL Union Md. Al Amin Imran, President of BRRI Sramik Samiti, Md. Rahim Uddin spoke at the rally.
