Shipbreaking act on cards
Dilip Barua tells Geneva-based IMWA team
Industries Minister Dilip Barua yesterday said the government will frame a law soon to develop the shipbreaking industry protecting rights of the workers.
The minister said this when a four-member delegation of Geneva-based International Metal Workers Association (IMWA) called on him at his office in the city.
He said the shipbreaking industry is an important sector but various problems, including the lack of protection of rights of the labourers, are not yet addressed as there is no law in this regard.
“Enacting the shipbreaking act is under active consideration of the government and an inter-ministerial meeting has already been held to put forward their recommendations,” he told the delegation.
Dilip Barua said the government is considering industrialisation as an important tool for poverty alleviation but at the same time the government is aware of its negative impact on the environment.
Praising the initiative by the government, the visiting IMWA delegation said both the shipbuilding and the shipbreaking industries in Bangladesh are likely to become an important driving force of the economic development.
They also suggested ensuring the rights of the workers including wage, health, working environment and security. These need to be ensured by the government for further development of the industry, they said.
Terming the present government as workers-friendly, the minister said it has already taken various initiatives for welfare of the working class people. He said the government has taken initiatives to increase wage and age-limit for the working people, provide VGF cards and introduce rationing system for the poor.
Besides, the government is also conscious about education, health and security of the workers and significant changes will be brought to the livelihood of the working class people during the tenure of the present government, he said.
International Metal Workers Federation Suzana Miller led the delegation. The other members of the delegation are director of the South Asian region of IMWA Sudharshan Rao Sarde, vice-president of Indian Still, Metal and Engineering Workers Federation Vidyadhar Rane and representative of Royal Denmark Labour Council Henrik Clark Dam.
General Secretary of Bangladesh Metal Workers Federation Nazrul Islam Khan and General Secretary of Bangladesh Metal Workers League Mujibur Rahman Bhuiyan were present on the occasion.
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