Demands include regular safety inspections, independent accident investigations, fair compensation and enforcement of labour rights
Shipbreaking workers’ representatives submit a 12-point memorandum to DIFE, demanding stronger workplace safety measures and accountability. Photo: Courtesy
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Shipbreaking workers’ representatives submit a 12-point memorandum to DIFE, demanding stronger workplace safety measures and accountability. Photo: Courtesy
The Shipbreaking Workers Safety Committee has submitted a 12-point demand to the Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments (DIFE), seeking stronger workplace safety measures and accountability to prevent accidents and deaths in the shipbreaking industry.
The committee submitted a memorandum to DIFE at 11am today (12 November), urging the authorities to ensure occupational health and safety at shipbreaking yards, according to a press release.
The demands include regular safety inspections at every yard, occupational health and safety committees with workers’ representatives, personal protective equipment (PPE), safety training and emergency rescue facilities.
The committee also called for legal action against yard owners if inspections identify safety deficiencies.
It demanded that the authorities maintain and regularly publish comprehensive annual records of workers injured or killed in workplace accidents, including information on the causes of accidents, medical expenses, compensation and rehabilitation.
The memorandum urged employers to cover the full medical costs of injured workers, provide rehabilitation and compensation in line with labour laws, and ensure long-term financial security for those who lose their ability to work.
It also called for the timely payment of legally entitled compensation and benefits to the families of workers killed in workplace accidents.
The committee further demanded that every yard maintain workers’ appointment letters, identity cards, service records, attendance registers and wage payment records to protect their rights under labour laws.
It urged the authorities to take steps to finalise and implement the draft gazette, published on 7 January 2026, proposing a minimum monthly wage of Tk22,000 for shipbreaking workers.
On occupational health, the committee called for regular medical examinations, early detection of work-related diseases and access to necessary treatment.
It also sought coordinated action by the Department of Environment and other relevant authorities to reduce health risks to workers and local communities from pollution, hazardous chemicals and dangerous waste.
The memorandum called for independent investigations into every serious accident in the industry, legal action against those found responsible and disclosure of investigation findings to workers’ representatives.
It also demanded regular consultations and tripartite discussions involving the authorities, employers and the committee to address workplace safety concerns.
The committee said the industry’s development should not be measured solely by infrastructure modernisation or the establishment of green shipbreaking yards.
“Meaningful development will be achieved only when a worker can enter the workplace safely and return home to their family in good health at the end of the working day,” the memorandum said, adding that workers’ lives must never be considered less important than industrial profits.
Those present during the submission included Tapan Dutta, convener of the Shipbreaking Workers Trade Union Forum and a former member of the Labour Reform Commission; Didarul Alam Chowdhury, joint convener of the Shipbreaking Workers Safety Committee; Md Ali, member secretary; Md Idris and Mahbub Bhandari, joint member secretaries; Md Siraj; and Fazlul Kabir Mintu, coordinator of the Shipbreaking Workers’ Occupational Health and Safety Information Centre.
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