Garment workers put forward 8-point demand including ration system
'There is a need for a ration card system to provide essential commodities like rice, lentils, and oil at affordable prices to garment workers'
The Bangladesh Textile Garment Workers Federation (BTGWF) has put forward an 8-point demand, including a ration system for all garments workers.
The demands were presented at a roundtable discussion titled "Interim Government: Ongoing Worker Unrest, Worker Rights, and What We Need to Do" held in Dhaka today (23 November).
In a written speech, Adv Mahbubur Rahman Ismail, president of the BTGWF, outlined the demands.
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He said, there is a need for a ration card system to provide essential commodities like rice, lentils, and oil at affordable prices to garment workers.
He also called for a constitutional amendment to guarantee food security for all workers.
Other demands include allowing formation of trade unions in all garment factories, including EPZs, in line with International Labour Organization (ILO) conventions, and removing obstacles for trade union registration.
The workers also demanded establishing an "Emergency Health and Safety" fund for workers' health and livelihood security, creating a "universal welfare fund" to support unemployed, disabled, and informal sector workers.
They also want establishing a dedicated hospital for workers, providing adequate compensation, treatment, and rehabilitation for victims of the Tazreen Fashion fire and Rana Plaza building collapse.
