Workers have been denied a fair share of the country's development, as they continue to receive inadequate wages, labour leaders told Debapriya Bhattacharya, head of the committee drafting a white paper on the state of the economy.

"According to labour leaders, the existing measures to protect workers, such as housing and maternity benefits, remain insufficient," Bhattacharya said following a meeting with labour representatives at the Planning Commission in Dhaka.

This meeting was part of a series of discussions the 12-member committee is holding with various stakeholders.

Bhattacharya, who is also a distinguished fellow at the Centre for Policy Dialogue, mentioned that workers raised concerns about the lack of adequate welfare provisions, particularly the absence of a provident fund.

He further noted that workers experience challenges when attempting to form trade unions despite legal protections ensuring their right to do so freely.

Labour leaders also informed the committee that numerous industrial units had been shut down, and no effective efforts had been made to reopen them.

Bhattacharya added that in many cases, government regulations are being ignored due to the influence of powerful vested interests.

Besides, labour leaders called for aligning Bangladesh's labour laws with international standards.

Bhattacharya assured that the workers' concerns would be considered while preparing the white paper.

BDST: 1219 HRS, OCT 01, 2024
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