Touhid Hossain Sarkar : Advocate Atiqur Rahman, central president of the Bangladesh Workers’ Welfare Federation, said that to establish genuine democratic rights in the workers’ field, necessary reforms must be implemented quickly in accordance with the proposals of the Labor Reform Commission and the spirit of the July Charter. Otherwise, the culture of partisanship, discrimination and worker harassment in state-owned enterprises will continue.
He made this statement while addressing the electricity workers’ rally at 10 am on Saturday, July 25 at the BREL Auditorium in Shahjahanpur Railway Colony in the capital.
On the occasion of the second anniversary of the July Uprising, the Power Development Board Workers’ Union (Reg. No. B-1505) commemorates the sacrifices of the working people, demands the implementation of the July Charter in light of the referendum verdict, and the implementation of the just demands of the power workers.
A workers’ rally was held under the chairmanship of union vice-president Helal Uddin.
The special guest was Laskar Md. Taslim, Central General Secretary of the Federation,
Central Vice President Kabir Ahmed, Central Deputy General Secretary Akhtaruzzaman, Central Deputy General Secretary and Dhaka Metropolitan South President Abdus Salam, DPDC Workers’ Welfare Council President A. N. M. Bazlur Rahman, Central Trade Union Secretary Sohel Rana Mithu,
The general secretary of the union, Md. Nazrul Islam, also spoke,
Mozammel Haque, former labor leader of the power development
Mahbubur Rahman, Deputy General Secretary of Dhaka Metropolitan South,
Central Vice President Omar Faruk, labor leader Mahbubur Rahman, and labor leader Main Uddin recited from the Holy Quran at the beginning of the program,
The chief guest said in his speech that during the fascist regime, leaders and activists of dissenting labor organizations were harassed, transferred and suppressed by giving priority to one-party trade unions in state-owned enterprises. Although there is hope that such behavior will end in the new Bangladesh, in reality, the old trend persists in many organizations. Whenever an organization is formed somewhere, labor leaders are being transferred through government officials, which is against the organizational rights of workers and democratic practices.
Advocate Atiqur Rahman said, no government official or head of an institution can work in the interest of a specific political party instead of the state. It is important to implement the recommendations of the Reform Commission to ensure impartiality in state institutions. Those concerned should be held accountable if they try to transfer workers unfairly or suppress their organizations.
He alleged that in the past, the ideology-based labor organizations were not given the opportunity to conduct activities, which led to the spread of extortion and trade union politics based on personal interests. The Bangladesh Workers’ Welfare Federation will play an uncompromising role in protecting the rights of workers, the interests of the organization, and establishing a disciplined trade union system.
He further said that although the policy decision to allow five trade unions in an organization as per the recommendations of the Labor Reform Commission was made, it was later limited to three, which has narrowed the path for new organizations. Similarly, the recommendation to limit the opportunity to remain in the leadership of a trade union after the end of employment has also been changed. He demanded necessary amendments by revealing the reasons behind these decisions.
He said, “The Bangladesh Workers’ Welfare Federation will not remain silent if any worker is harassed or transferred for joining a trade union. If necessary, an organizational committee will be formed in each institution to build a united movement against injustice, corruption, partisanship and oppression of workers.”
The following twelve demands were unanimously approved by the rally:
1. CBA elections must be held immediately
2. No work, no wages—workers must be made permanent immediately
3. Pets need to be hired
4. Full implementation of pay scale must be done immediately
5. Temporary drivers should be permanently hired
6. Harassing transfers of workers and employees must be stopped.
7. Adequate modern residential facilities must be ensured for workers and employees.
8. The ongoing recruitment process must be implemented quickly.
9. Medical assistance to Bubo officials and employees should be increased
10. Timely promotions at all levels must be ensured.
11. Individual pay scales for BUB officers and employees must be implemented
12. The announcement of privatization of all distribution departments recently announced by the Minister must be withdrawn.
Supporting the demands raised by the workers and employees of the Electricity Board, Advocate Atiqur Rahman said, “All workers must work together to protect the interests of workers, develop the organization, and build an accountable trade union system. Wherever injustice, oppression, discrimination, and irregularities occur, the Bangladesh Workers’ Welfare Federation will stand by the workers.” This is the main lesson of the July spirit.
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