Tannery workers demand 50-bed hospital in Savar

The Tannery Workers Union (TWU) has demanded a 50-bed specialised hospital for the treatment of workers at the Savar tannery hub, as they are suffering from severe health hazards from the impact of chemicals used in the industry.

The TWU leaders said this in a press briefing on labour compliance and a safe working environment, held at the Press Council Auditorium in the capital today.

They also demanded the implementation of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) labour conventional Act along with the permission of trade unions to protect the industry and its labour.

TWU General Secretary Abdul Maleque, at the press conference, said the government is giving importance to leather industries, but the tannery workers are being deprived of their minimum rights.

"After working 30 years in the tannery industry, labours were sacked from jobs without paying any financial compensation, although the tannery owners make huge profits due to the labour of these workers," he said.

Maleque also demanded the mandatory use of health safety gear during duty and operation of machinery in the tannery industries.

There are 20,000 workers who are directly involved in the Savar tannery industry, while around 2 lakh workers are engaged in this industry indirectly.

The tannery industries' local value addition is around 84 percent, while this ratio in the garments sector is around 20 percent.

Professor Belal Ahmed and Mohammad Nazrul Islam of Solidarity Centre Bangladesh, an international organisation working on leather industry workers also spoke at the press conference.