‘Workplace deaths recurring for culture of impunity’

A culture of impunity has arisen over workplace accidents and the resultant deaths of workers in Bangladesh. This is because justice is yet to be ensured in related cases, even though such accidents, deaths, and injuries are recurrent.

"This has created a sense that there is no justice over such accidents. This is why no one cares," said Syed Sultan Uddin Ahmmed, executive director of the Bangladesh Institute of Labour Studies (BILS), yesterday.

His comments came in reaction to a massive fire that swept through a chemical warehouse and an adjacent clothing factory in Shialbari of the capital's Mirpur on October 14.

At least 16 workers lost their lives, reflecting the failure of the authorities concerned to ensure compliance with labour and other relevant laws.

Just three weeks ago, a blaze at a warehouse in Tongi, Gazipur, claimed the lives of four firefighters.

Between January and June this year, nine persons died in three workplace accidents, according to data compiled by the BILS based on newspaper reports.

The BILS, in its Workplace Situation Report 2024, said 8,360 workers were killed in workplace accidents between 2015 and 2024.

Interviewed by The Daily Star yesterday, Ahmmed said many workers had died and were injured due to factory accidents, including the Tazreen Fashions fire and the Rana Plaza building collapse, over the last couple of decades.

None has been punished for workplace accidents in the last 20 years, said Ahmmed, also the chairman of a Labour Reform Commission formed by the interim government in November last year.

He said successive governments ignored the issue of workplace safety and the need to ensure justice.

"They are doing it deliberately as they think that the private sector cannot be disturbed. Otherwise, how is it possible that there will be no justice?" he said. "Justice is also necessary to prove that owners are not responsible," he added.

Ahmmed said weakness in the labour law is a major reason. The extent of punishment and the amount of compensation are very low. A factory owner faces four years in jail for the death of workers due to his negligence.

"This must be addressed. The provision of punishment for violation of the law should be increased," he said.

Ahmmed said a number of public agencies are responsible for monitoring workplaces and enforcing the law to ensure safety and compliance. There is a lack of accountability among officials in these agencies, he said.

To address this, a tripartite committee involving business owners and workers should be formed, he said.

There is a rule that every factory with more than 50 workers must have a safety committee involving workers. The Department of Labour is responsible for enforcing this provision, he added.