Women's contribution remains invisible

The labour of female workers is not recognised in three important areas -- potato and maize cultivation and poultry rearing -- although their contribution in those sectors is more than 80 percent, a researcher said yesterday.

"Women's contribution is not recognised in those sectors as those are considered invisible," Pratima Paul-Majumdar, president of Karmojibi Nari, told a seminar on protecting the rights of workers in informal sectors at Jatiya Press Club.

Karmojibi Nari, OSHE Foundation, and Manusher Jonno Foundation in collaboration with the labour and employment ministry organised the seminar.

Majumdar  said a lot of workers, who are employed in areas like agriculture, transportation, and construction, could not be given legal supports, as these were not considered formal sectors.

She also said over the last five years, the number of male workers in agriculture fell significantly, while the share of female workers in that sector increased by 17 percent.

Kalu Biswas, vice-president of Bangladesh Khetmajur Samity, an association of farmworkers, called for a state mechanism to ensure fair prices for the farmers' produce.

A farmer spends Tk 900 for producing one maund of paddy, but he is selling the same quantity at Tk 400, he said.

Shamsuzzaman Selim, president of Bangladesh Khetmajur Samity, said a separate law was needed for the workers of informal sectors so that they could avail financial assistances when needed.

Syed Sultan Uddin Ahmmed, assistant executive director of the Bangladesh Institute of Labour Studies, said the workers of informal sectors could not be given support, as the sectors were very vast. "So we need to define the sectors and workers in small segments so that the workers can enjoy the benefits under the legal system," he said.

Syed Ahmed, inspector general of the Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments, said the number of inspectors for protecting the rights of more than six crore working people was really poor. "We are trying to increase the number of factory inspectors so that the rights of the workers can be protected."

Mujibul Haque Chunnu, state minister for labour and employment, also spoke.

In Bangladesh, the sectors which have less dependence on technology, capital, lack availability of labourers, and barely abide by rules, are considered informal sectors, though such businesses have trade licences and pay income taxes.