BILS, with the support of Action Aid Bangladesh organised a roundtable to disseminate the research report titled, “Decent Work for Youth in Informal Sector: Status, Challenge and Way Forward” on December 19, 2018 at Azimur Rahman Conference Hall, Daily Star Centre.
BILS Vice Chairman Md. Mojibur Rahman Bhuiyan presided over the roundtable while Joint Secretary General Md. Zafrul Hasan moderated the programme. Associate Professor of Department of Social Work at Jagannath University Mostifiz Ahmed presented research findings regarding this issue. The research conducted on these five sectors of construction, beauty salon, automobiles, hotel restaurants and online businesses shows that 88 percent of youth workers do not have written agreement for employment, 88 percent have no identity card, 93 percent have no service book, 62 percent discharge without notice, 62 percent do not get overtime allowance, 98 percent have no knowledge on minimum wage, 60 percent earnings below 10 thousand. 30 percent adolescence exists in these sectors especially in restaurant, construction and beauty salon which are unsafe. 43 percent workers do not have knowledge on risk at workplace and in 80 percent there is no Trade Union.
Among others ILO Skill for Development and Practice Project Chief Technical Advisor Kishor Kumar Singh, Department of Labour Deputy Director Rafiqul Islam Fakir, Action Aid Manager Nazmul Ahsan, Voluntary Service Organisation Project Coordinator Shafiqur Rahman, National Skill Development Council Deputy Director Abdul Majed, Jatiyatabadi Sramik Dal President Anwar Hossain, Bangladesh Labour Federation General Secretary Advocate Delwar Hossain Khan, Bangladesh Motorjan Sramik Federation President Anwar Hossain Khokon, Informal Sector Industry Skill Council representative Abdul Aziz Munsi, Oxfam representative Tosiba Kashem, Karmojibi Nari representative Sanjida Khatun, BILS Executive Council member Pulak Ranjan Dhar, Trade Union Centre Office Secretary Shahida Parveen Shikha, Bangladesh Mukta Sramik Federation Secretary Shahidullah Badal were present in the roundtable.
Mentioning the importance of training for youth workers to raise awareness among them regarding their rights discussants in the roundtable said, “According to International Policy decent work was not convinced fully in Bangladesh Labour Law 2006”. They said, “Youth workers are not aware of their rights. Government, private organisations and civil society have to come forward to make them aware of this. They recommended arranging job oriented education, compulsory signature of the owner’s workers contract in the recruitment of workers, ensuring workers’ rights and Trade Union rights through proper implementation of ILO Convention 87 and 98, taking necessary steps for improving workers’ skills, taking joint initiatives of government and private through Trade Union in order to raise awareness among the workers on unsafe and decent work, implementing policy for informal sector, emphasizing gender issue at decent work, protection of Laws for women workers, removing of child labour, providing identity card to workers, stop harassment of taking maternity leave, arranging pension system, bringing all sectors under Labour Law and giving proper importance to youth labour force.