May Day

Bangladesh, with its large population, has enormous potential to participate in the world's economy. However, its contribution will remain marginal if the rights of those who run the economy are not realised. The supervising authorities and the legislature must ensure that their promises are not empty words. For example, after the events mentioned above, the BGMEA promised to inspect all factories across the country; but how many factories have been inspected? What records of the inspections have been kept and what actions have been taken against factories that were found to be violating the rules and regulations? In addition, what steps have been taken to ensure that there will be no repetition of conditions which endanger workers' lives?

What processes are being put in place to ensure that workers are aware of and able to demand fulfilment of their rights? Until these sorts of questions are adequately answered, Bangladesh will not only be excluded from meaningful participation in the world's economy, it will fail to attain true and just development.