Trade policy review of Bangladesh at WTO this week
13 Sep '06
3 min read
A new ICFTU report, issued to coincide with the trade policy review of Bangladesh at the WTO this week, condemns the abuses of workers' rights in Bangladesh's numerous export processing zones, which are subject to a special labour legislation and where the most basic human rights are not respected.
In 2005 alone, 480 workers were killed and 950 injured due to workplace accidents or violence against workers. The worst abuses occurred in the ready-make garment sector, for example at the Shan Knitting and Processing Mill on 22 January 2005, where 22 women workers were killed and over 50 injured in a fire that broke out during a night shift. The factory gate was locked, effectively trapping the workers.
On 11 April 2005, 64 workers were killed and another 84 injured when the nine storey Spectrum garment factory collapsed. The building was only three years old and had been built in defiance of all building regulations.
Despite numerous proposals from the ILO for amendments to a new draft law mooted by the government of Bangladesh to bring it into compliance with relevant international core labour standards, there is no indication that the government will act on the ILO's recommendations and address the continuing denial of workers' rights in the zones.
The report shows that even though Bangladesh has ratified ILO Conventions 87 and 98, and its constitution and national law provide for the right to join unions, these rights are not respected inpractice.
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