Labour leaders demand fixing compensation for workplace casualty

Different labour organisations Sunday called for formulating a "National Standards Act" to determine the appropriate compensation for workers killed and injured in factory accidents, including the Rana Plaza factory collapse.

The consorted demand came at a human chain protest organised in front of the Jatiya Press Club by the Workers' Safety Forum to commemorate the nine-year anniversary of the Rana Plaza tragedy on Sunday.

"Workers killed and injured in various workplaces across the country, including Rana Plaza collapse and Tazreen factory fire, should be compensated on the basis of their lifetime income loss by establishing national standards, which can be made following the International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention 121 and the Deadly Accidents Act," said Bangladesh Institute of Labour Studies (BILS) Director Nazma Yasmeen.

Echoing the same, Jatiyatabadi Sramik Dal President Anwar Hossain said those responsible for the Rana Plaza accident should be brought to justice expeditiously and the victims should be compensated in accordance with international standards. He also demanded long-term treatment facilities for the injured.

Anwar Hossain said workplace accidents did not stop even after the Rana Plaza tragedy. The injured workers became a burden to their families, while they once were the breadwinners.   

He demanded speedy trial of those responsible for the Rana Plaza accident and proper compensation for the victims.

Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust (BLAST) Advisor Advocacy M Mansur Ahmed said they are concerned as no case has been settled yet though nine years have passed after the Rana Plaza tragedy.

President of National Workers' Federation Kamrul Ahsan, General Secretary of Trade Union Federation Chowdhury Ashiqul Alam, Secretary of Trade Union Centre Abul Kalam Azad and others were present at the programme.

The Workers' Safety Forum (SNF) put forward a number of demands to the government including bringing all workers under labour law, establishing specialised hospitals for workplace injuries and setting up special units in hospitals. The forum also called for launching nationwide mobile courts to inspect hazardous workplaces.

The forum on Sunday also laid flowers at the Jurain graveyard and in front of the Rana Plaza in Savar to pay tribute to slain and injured workers.