Recognise fisheries workers as labourers: experts
The interim government should officially recognise fisheries workers as labourers and provide them with social security, experts urged at a programme today.
They highlighted that livelihoods in the fisheries sector are fragile, workers lack legal protection and safety measures, and existing social security programmes are insufficient.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. The demand was made at an event organised by the Bangladesh Institute of Labour Studies at The Daily Star Centre.
According to the experts, about 1.2 crore people across the country are involved in the fisheries supply chain, with 14 lakh people directly dependent on the sector for their livelihoods.
Syed Sultan Uddin Ahmmed, executive director of the Bangladesh Institute of Labour Studies, said, "Under labour law, only workers in the fishing trawler and fish processing industries are covered. All other fisheries workers in the country remain outside the legal protection."
"There is also no wage structure for workers outside the shrimp and trawler industries," he added.
Socialist Labour Front President Razekuzzaman Ratan said, "Fisheries workers are not provided with employment rights, health and safety measures, medical care, or compensation. Many provisions of labour law are not followed in their workplaces."
"Workers face severe health risks, and medical care and compensation are almost non-existent. Many are trapped in cycles of debt and loans," he added.
Ratan further said, "Life-saving measures at work — especially protection against storms, tidal surges, or pirate attacks — are weak. Government assistance during fishing bans is insufficient, leaving workers unable to earn enough to sustain their livelihoods."
"The signalling system at sea is outdated, which increases the risk of death," he added.
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