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DHAKA, Dec 30, 2024 (BSS) - Underscoring the need to put an end to workers' rights violations, Adviser to the Fisheries and Livestock Ministry Farida Akhter said violation of workers' rights is equal to violation of human rights.

"Most of the human rights organizations working to ensure human rights don't talk about the rights of workers," the adviser told a dialogue.
 
She was speaking as the chief guest at the national dialogue on "Inclusion of Global-Standard Labor Laws and Legal Recognition of Agricultural and Informal Economy Workers" organized by the Bangladesh Agricultural Farm Workers' Federation at the CIRDAP auditorium here today.

During the meeting, the representatives from the Agricultural Farm Workers' Federation and Unions handed over a proposal comprising a 13-point-demand to the chief of the Labor Reform Commission.

Acting president of the Bangladesh Agricultural Farm Workers Federation, Azizul Haque, presided over the program.

Among others, Labor Reforms Commission Chief Syed Sultan Uddin Ahmed, president of Samajtantrik Sramik Front and also member of Labor Reform Commission Rajekuzzaman Ratan, General Secretary of National Labor Federation Shamim Imam, labor leaders Abul Hossain, Mohammad Ali, Baki Billah, Hasibul Islam, and Alauddin were present.

Noting that of the cancer patients, about 60 percent are directly involved with agriculture, Adviser Farida said this is because women mix pesticides and farmers are spraying those without any precaution.

Putting emphasis on the prevention and remediation, she said in the agricultural law, there is no word called farmer; rather, the word is 'Contact Farmers.'

Referring to the changes in the Agricultural Farm Worker Recruitment and Control Policy, 2017, the adviser said workers should not be controlled; rather, their legitimate rights should be protected.

"The rights of the workers should be given foremost priority in the constitution . . . I will work to do something for the welfare of the workers," she added.
Adviser Farida said, "Although we can witness the exploitation of workers, including garment workers, in many ways, we do not register the exploitation of agricultural workers."

The participants emphasized removing the discrimination between employees and workers.

They also raised their demand to bring the workers under the social security network by inserting their information in the information database in the age of information technology (IT).