Building construction workers brings out a procession in the Barisal city on Sunday, demanding implementation of ILO charter. — New Age photo

Building construction workers on Sunday demanded full implementation of the ILO charter, labour act and building construction code.
At a rally, they placed their six-point demand including immediate enlistment of construction workers and issuance of identity cards, separate pay commission and compulsory insurance, round-the-year permanent employment or unemployment allowance, free health and education facilities for their children, accommodation for floating workers, price control of essentials commodities and implementation of rationing system immediately.
They also demanded rehabilitation of the victims of accidents at construction sites.
The Barisal district unit of Imarat Nirman Sramik Union organised the rally at Barisal Ashwini Kumar Hall in the city as part of their daylong programmes marking the 22nd founding anniversary and annual general meeting of the organisation.
The rally was presided over by MA Jalil, president of the Barisal district INSU.
Md Abdus Salam Talukdar, district secretary of INSU, placed annual report of the unit in the programme participated in by more than five hundred construction workers of the region in the morning.
AK Azad, central committee member and district secretary of the Bangladesh Trade Union Kendra, as chief guest addressed the programme also addressed by Abdus Salam Shikdar, Nigar Sultana Hanufa, Arifur Rahman Khan, Shamsul Huq, Rafikul Islam Biswas, Rustam Ali, divisional president, Abdur Razak, Abdul Gani and other leaders of INSU and BTUK among others.
At the programme, they expressed concern over the growing number of accidents at construction sites and lamented that in most cases the victims got no compensation.
They said there was no complete list of workers who died, were injured and went missing in accidents at construction sites while the High Court instruction for paying Tk 10 lakh to the victims was hardly followed, they added.
They demanded immediate implementation of the charter, announced by the International Labour Organisation and accepted by Bangladesh government, and strict enforcement of labour act and building construction code with complete insurance and victim’s support and rehabilitation facilities for the construction workers.