Construction Workers in Capital
80pc face workplace hazards: Study
Around 80 percent of the capital’s construction workers are exposed and prone to workplace hazards and accidents for, among others, a lack of safety equipment and exposure to heights, unstable structures, noisy environments and having to carry heavy loads.
This was stated in a study, “Impact of migration on poverty: Construction workers in Bangladesh”, revealed in the capital’s Brac Centre Inn yesterday in presence of researchers, academicians, labour market experts and trade union leaders.
Dhaka University-based Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit (RMMRU) conducted the study among 150 construction workers in 11 areas of the capital from November to December in 2012.
Almost 49 percent of the country’s construction workers are employed in the capital, states the study.
It mentioned that although at least 58 workers died in the capital in 2012 after falling from under-construction high-rises, the figure might be higher as all incidents are not reported.
Moreover, the victims’ families did not get proper compensation as per labour laws, the existence of which is unknown to 95 percent of the workers questioned.
Around 77 percent of the workers stated that there were no inspections from the authorities concerned while 15 percent were unaware if such inspections were to take place. However, seven percent said they had seen inspectors but were unsure if they were from the government.
Moreover, the workers are provided unsafe drinking water, poor sanitation, and unhygienic living conditions and face different ailments including fever, cough, back pain, eye strain and depression, the study added.
The workers faced difficulties in realising their rights because they usually have no written contracts with their employers. The study stated that around 69 percent of the employments in the sector were irregular while 25 percent were regular.
Around 41 percent of the workers stated that they were not paid for overtime although they worked over eight hours every day.
Furthermore, the sub-contractors did not regularly pay the workers in full for which they were unable to quit whenever they desired, said the study.
Those present in yesterday’s unveiling suggested enforcing the labour laws and formulating a formal framework to protect the construction workers’ rights and ensure their pay and benefits.
RMMRU Executive Director CR Abrar conducted the programme while Md Israfil Alam, chair for the parliamentary standing committee on labour and employment, and Rehab Adviser and building technology & ideas ltd Managing Director FR Khan spoke, among others.
-With The Daily Star input
