Workers have been deprived of a fair share of the country's development as they are still not being paid proper wages, labour leaders on Monday told Debapriya Bhattacharya, head of a committee preparing a white paper on the state of the economy.
"Labour leaders claimed that the measures put in place to protect workers' interests, such as housing and maternity benefits, are inadequate," he said after meeting labour leaders at the Planning Commission in the capital.
The meeting was a part of a series of dialogues that the 12-member committee was holding with stakeholders, The Daily Star reports.
Debapriya Bhattacharya, also a distinguished fellow of the Centre for Policy Dialogue, said workers also alleged that there are no proper arrangements for their welfare, pointing to a lack of a provident fund.
He added that workers faced pressure when it came to forming trade unions although the law stipulates that they be allowed to do so without any hindrance.
During the meeting, labour leaders informed the committee that many industrial units had been closed and no proper initiatives had been taken to reopen them, he added.
In many cases, government regulations are being violated due to the influence of large, vested groups, Bhattacharya said.
Besides, labour leaders demanded to make Bangladesh's labour laws consistent with international laws.
Debapriya Bhattacharya said the workers' concerns would be considered during the formulation of the white paper.
bd-pratidin/GR
