Though staff within the garment trade are entitled to many advantages, they typically fail to avail them attributable to a lack of information. Lots of them can not even entry the central welfare fund attributable to inaccuracies of their nationwide ID playing cards.
Photograph: Star/File
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Though staff within the garment trade are entitled to many advantages, they typically fail to avail them attributable to a lack of information. Lots of them can not even entry the central welfare fund attributable to inaccuracies of their nationwide ID playing cards.
Photograph: Star/File
Many garment staff have been going through challenges in accessing monetary advantages from the Central Fund for the trade due to inaccuracies of their nationwide id (NID) playing cards, analysts stated yesterday.
The Central Fund for the welfare of garment staff was arrange in 2016, with the nation’s attire makers contributing 0.03 % of their export proceeds to the fund every fiscal 12 months.
For all newest information, comply with The Day by day Star’s Google Information channel. As per the circumstances of the fund, the employees should submit their NIDs to take monetary advantages from the fund.
Nonetheless, on the finish of the day, not all staff can entry the cash as their NID playing cards are suffering from errors, audio system stated.
They made the feedback at a roundtable dialogue, titled “Social Safety for RMG Staff in Bangladesh”, collectively organised by The Day by day Star and the UN Capital Improvement Fund at The Day by day Star Centre in Dhaka.
Based on the ministry sources, there may be round Tk 1,000 crore within the Central Fund at current.
Md Abdus Samad Al Azad, director of the Central Fund beneath the Ministry of Labour and Employment, stated his ministry plans to take away obstacles in fund disbursement by correcting complexities associated to Cell Monetary Providers (MFS) and discovering a substitute for NIDs.
He stated defective NIDs are the most important issue depriving staff of social safety measures.
Azad added that funds from the Central Fund would regularly be digitised so staff may avail funds simply and with out problem.
Authorities officers, senior officers from completely different garment factories, worldwide cooperation our bodies, union leaders and officers from completely different NGOs additionally participated within the dialogue, which was moderated by Tanjim Ferdous, in-charge (NGOs and overseas mission) of The Day by day Star.
The Central Fund is certainly one of many social safety measures for garment staff. Different such schemes embrace the Social Safety Programme for Unemployed Staff by the European Union and Germany, the Nationwide Social Insurance coverage Scheme, the Employment Harm Scheme, the Psychological Well being Initiative for RMG Staff, the Mom and Youngster Profit Program, Youngster Daycare Facilities and the Common Pension Scheme.
Sadly, most staff can not get pleasure from such advantages as they lack consciousness about these services. Bureaucratic hassles and complicated processes current different main obstacles.
Whereas presenting the keynote paper, Shariful Islam Chowdhury, challenge analyst of UNCDF Bangladesh, stated most RMG staff are unaware of such programmes.
He beneficial rising consciousness, collaborating with trade associations, integrating factories with the common pension scheme, and digitising the central fund so staff can profit from these measures.
Masing Newar, assistant subject officer of the World Meals Programme, echoed Chowdhury’s views.
Newar stated her workplace provided social safety measures for garment staff, corresponding to little one and mom and diet programmes. However many have no idea about these measures, so they don’t avail of them.
Joly Talukder, vice-president of the Bangladesh Garment Sramik Commerce Union Kendra, urged the federal government to publish a white paper on the Central Fund for extra transparency.
ANM Saif Uddin, chairman of the Standing Committee on the Worldwide Labour Group and Labour Affairs of the BGMEA, stated the BGMEA had constructed eight faculties in Dhaka and one in Chattogram that provide free training for the youngsters of garment staff.
However a lot of the staff have no idea about these services.
That is additionally the case for the eight healthcare centres in Dhaka and a full-fledged hospital in Chattogram. These establishments are run by the Bangladesh Garment Producers and Exporters Affiliation (BGMEA), however staff are unaware of them.
Fazlee Shamim Ehsan, government president of the Bangladesh Knitwear Producers and Exporters Affiliation, recommended bringing all social safety measures beneath a central framework.
Such a transfer would make sure that staff can get pleasure from advantages and improve monitoring by the authorities, he stated.
