VICTIMS ORGANISING IN BANGLADESH Md. Taherul Islam OSHE Bangladesh - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

VICTIMS ORGANISING IN BANGLADESH Md. Taherul Islam OSHE – Bangladesh

Dreadful Accidents in Garments Industry Year Name of the Dead Injured Factory 1990 Sareka Garments 32 --- 2006 Phoenix Garments 22 10 (building collapse) 2010 Garib & Garib 21 around 50 Newaj factory 2010 Ha-Meem Group 26 around 100 2012 Tazreen Fashions 113 around 300 2013 Smart Fashions 07 24 2013 Aswad Composite 09 around 50 Mills Ltd. 2013 Rana Plaza Building 1135 1248 Collapse Tampaco Foils 2016 41 44 Limited, at Tongi

OAVSU-OSHE While these tragedies happened ultimately resulted in the establishment of a new unit of OSHE named ‘Occupational Accidents Victims Support Unit (OAVSU)’ to deal with these workplace accidents victims directly with special support and services to rehabilitate them in society.  The unit has been working since 2012 just after Tazreen fashions fire incident.

Activities of OAVSU  Campaigning, advocacy, enhancing tripartite dialogue are the main working areas of the unit. Apart these it has been supporting the workplace accident victims - to be organized, - raise and place their voice and needs locally and globally - ensure their basic rights, provide alternative skill development training/vocational skills, - counseling on their compensation settlement and rehabilitation issues, - counseling on legal & aid support.

Formation of RanaPlaza and Tazreen Fashions Fire Accident Victims Rights Network  OAVSU, victims of Ranaplaza and Tazreen realized to be organised.  OSHE came forward to help the victims to form network and named, “Rana Plaza and Tazreen Fashions Accidents Victims Rights Network”.  At present OAVSU has been helping the victims under several victims networks.

Formation of Tampaco Fire Accident Victims Rights Network (TVRN) Formed to negotiate for the compensation and other issues. The objectives of this network is to negotiate with government and other stakeholder for the compensation, ensure proper inspection to the factories, ensure health and safety for the workers.

Formation of Shipbreaking Accident Victims Rights Network OSHE formed shipbreaking accidents victims rights network in 2012 for the purpose of compensation settlement, ensure proper inspection to the factories, ensure health and safety for the workers.

Structure of these Networks  Secretariat - OSHE  The network has a convening committee

ORGANISING VICTIMS:

ORGANISING VICTIMS: Tampaco  The network provided humanitarian support for Tampaco Foils LTd. Fire Accident Victims from the support of OSHE in three phases: 1 st Phase :  19 Victims and family provided financial Support  Venue : Conference Room of the Deputy Commissioner, Habiganj  Date : 13 March 2017

ORGANISING VICTIMS: Tampaco 2 nd Phase :  59 victims and family got financial support  Date : 23 April 2017  Venue : VIP Lounge, National Press Club 3 rd Phase:  6 Victims/Family got support  Date : 06 May 2017  Venue : U Multipurpose Hall, Dhaka

TAMPACO VICTIMES ORGANISING VICTIMS AND HUMANITARIAN SUPPORT

Rana Plaza compensation settlement process – Rana Plaza Claim Administration (RPCA).  Participated in the Rana Plaza compensation settlement process – Rana Plaza Claim Administration (RPCA) by providing victims data, providing information about compensation settlement process among the RP victims, engaging them with settlement process etc.  Carried out time to time information services to the victims through victims network  It’s a grate victory for all national, regional and int’l networks and campaign platforms including ANROEV  Current Major Challenges:  Long term medical care and allied cost for injured workers still need to be taken care of.  Rehabilitation process of the RP victims needs to be up scaled.

Tazreen compensation settlement process – Tazreen Claim Administration (TCA)  In September 2015, the Tazreen Claims Administration Trust (TCA) was established to make payments victims of the Tazreen Fashion Fire, including injured workers and families of the deceased and missing.  Loss of income for the injured, deceased and missing workers was calculated on the basis of the ILO Convention 121.  The network involved in the same compensation settlement process for Tazreen fire accident victims  OSHE and Network are the members of Tazreen Compensation Steering committee  Network members (Committee members) attending steering committee meetings and different pertinent consultation programs on a regular basis  Data base shared with TCA  In total, BDT 167,463,882 (equivalent to approximately USD 2.17 million), has been paid out to 582 beneficiaries (Deceased: 373 claims , Missing: 37 claims, and 172 injured)

Tampaco compensation settlement process  No compensation for Tampaco victims yet in line with ILO Convention 121 on workplace injury.  As Bangladesh did not ratify the ILO Convention 121, which mainly deals with compensation payment for victims in the case of industrial accidents, the victims do not receive an adequate amount of money by the law.  the Gazipur district administration and Gazipur BSCIC Factory Owners Association paid the victims Tk 20,000 each for transportation of the dead bodies and other immediate expenses.  The BSCIC (Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation) Factory Owners Association paid the same to vicitms  The owner of Tampaco has already deposited money at the court to pay the victims Tk 100,000 each  Additional Tk 200,000 to each of the victims from the welfare foundation.

Lessons Learned  The occupational accidents survivors & victims families got a big room/platform for raising their voice, position and demands at national, regional and international levels as a party  Victims were united and placed uniform demands in the process of compensation & rehabilitation settlement  Emerged as a group to settle their demands by collective actions ensuring engagement with the authorities concerned.  Occupational accidents victims movements in Bangladesh got a new momentum and well connected with int’l occupational accidents victims rights movements

Limitations  The activities for victims have been running using mostly OSHE’s internal limited resources;  Due to financial limitation, OSHE is unable to expand the supports and services as required in the field for occupational accidents survivors  Lack of CSR supports from local sources in this initiative.  Lack of human resources

Challenges  Lack of knowledge about the rights at work  Lower literacy rate of the workers  High expectation of getting immediate benefits; After a big disaster, it is very usual.  Lack of leadership skill  Frequent mobility, unemployment and extreme poverty  Misguided by local elites, employers and vested interest group

Way Forward  Continuing strengthening the support and organizing drive for the victims.  Continuously strengthening the occupational accidents victims movements  Follow up the progress status of victims compensation settlement, rehabilitation process and other supporting services i.e. long term medical treatment  Conduct a neutral study on the status of pragmatic usage of awarded compensation money (by the victims)  Make an easy access for the RP & Tazreen victims to Sramik Kallan Foundation (Labour Welfare Foundation) and different support programs  Build up a national social protection or security scheme i.e. EII/employment Injury Insurance/RMG Sector

“This Fight will go on unit all the occupational accident victims under this network obtain fair compensation, social justice and rehabilitation support’ “Thanks to ANROEVand AMRC for being with US”