Exploitation of shipbreaking workers must stop

We share the disappointment of thousands of shipbreaking workers who were denied their festival bonus before Eid-ul-Fitr this year. As per our report, shipyard owners used a loophole in the labour law of Bangladesh to deprive the workers of their festival bonuses. A provision in the law specifies that festival bonuses cannot exceed the basic salary of the workers who worked for one year at any yard. The law, however, doesn't mention a lower limit for the bonus. So, the yard owners gave some of the workers Tk 500 and some Tk 1,000 as Eid bonuses, while many went home empty-handed. The same thing happened last year as well, according to the workers. Meanwhile, they paid the full salary and bonus to the management and regular staff.

The reason why the owners could exploit the workers in such a shameful way is that they never implemented the minimum wage structure declared by the government. In 2016, the government fixed the minimum wage for shipbreaking workers (entry level) at Tk 16,000, making the basic salary Tk 8,000. But since none of the yards have implemented the new wage structure yet, it has also given them the chance to deprive the workers of their Eid bonuses. The result is, around 25,000 workers employed in this dangerous job could not enjoy their Eid holidays with their family members due to financial hardship.

Shipbreaking yards are, reportedly, the most dangerous workplaces in the country, due mostly to lax implementation of environmental and safety laws. Many workers in this sector have lost their lives in deadly workplace accidents, while injuries are also fairly common. While the workers risk their lives to do their work, the authorities of these yards remain oblivious to their safety and well-being. This is, in no way, acceptable in a civilised society.

The questions that must be asked here are: Why couldn't the yard owners implement the government-fixed wage structure in all these years? How could they ignore the fact that it is through the hard work of these workers that the industry is making such huge profits? Also, why is it so hard for them to ensure a safe work environment for the workers?

We think the government should take action against the yards that are not complying with the government-fixed wage structure. These yard owners should be directed to give their workers their due bonuses when they rejoin work after Eid holidays. The government must also have a monitoring mechanism in place to ensure that our shipyards are safe for workers. Without proper monitoring from the authorities, the industry may continue exploiting its workers.