Former Tazreen workers deserve fair recompense

That former workers of Tazreen Fashions Limited would have to agitate for fair compensation even after eight years since a fire ravaged the factory, killing over 117 workers and permanently disabling many others, is a damning indictment of the true state of Bangladesh's apparel industry. While the authorities shamelessly advertise the success of this industry, about 45 workers have been silently and helplessly protesting on the sidewalks outside the National Press Club for 70 days now. They wouldn't leave the premises until their demands of dignified compensation, rehabilitation and justice are met. These demands are by no means unfair, nor impracticable, yet beyond a cursory visit by the representatives of BGMEA and the Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments (DIFE), nothing has been done to address their grievances.

The apathy with which their demands have been treated is not surprising, given how often it happens to victims of workplace accidents and mass layoffs in Bangladesh. But this tactic of totally refusing to acknowledge them, without so much as a meaningful contact from the authorities, boggles the mind. Why has no one reached out to negotiate their terms? Can a government simply ignore the existence of a section of its citizens? Is it some unholy test of their endurance? The workers say, of the 173 injured workers listed for compensation, only 45 got some kind of financial support. The number is far less than the official count of workers said to have received compensation—and the amount received is a pittance at best. Although labour activists have long demanded that the compensation for permanently disabled workers be equal to their lifetime's earnings, as per the Bangladesh Labour Act, the amount of compensation is only Tk 1 lakh in case of death, and Tk 1.25 lakh in case of permanent disability—one of the lowest in the world.

It is high time the legal provisions for compensation for deceased and injured workers were reformed in line with the gravity of their loss. Many of the former Tazreen workers were the sole bread earners of their family, and they have been living a miserable life since the accident, unable to find work or retain their jobs for long because of their invalidity. Those "lucky" enough to have received some compensation saw it wither away, as is only natural, while those who caused their sufferings through their negligence or complicit silence are being let off the hook. This cannot go on any longer. The government must take the responsibility of these workers and ensure they receive proper compensation, rehabilitation and medical treatment. And those responsible for their sufferings must be brought to book.