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News & Press Releases - Employment Injury Scheme (EIS)

10 December 2023 Human Rights Day: Occupational accident insurance as a fundamental right in Bangladesh's textile sector

On the 10th. In December 1948, the United Nations proclaimed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, but even after 75 years, human rights are still being violated worldwide. Particularly in Bangladesh's garment sector, enforcing the right to a safe workplace remains a challenge. For this reason, FEMNET supports a groundbreaking pilot the Society for International Cooperation (GIZ) and the International Labour Organization (ILO), which aims to improve the working conditions of workers by introducing occupational accident insurance.

In April 2013, the Rana Plaza factory building in Bangladesh buried thousands of workers among itself. Already days before, structural defects in the building were visible, but the factory management did not pursue them. A serious mistake that cost 1,135 workers their lives and injured 2,438, some of them seriously. Many of them still suffer today from the physical and psychological consequences of the accident.

The Accord on Building Safety

Factory safety has demonstrably improved over the last decade through the Accord, which was introduced in 2013. Despite increased safety precautions, such as the installation of fire doors, or the reinforcement of load-bearing walls or columns, accidents cannot be completely prevented, because workers are also exposed to hazards in everyday production, for example in the handling of machines, construction work within the factory or accidents in the warehouse. In addition to the long-term physical and psychological consequences, those affected are threatened with financial ruin.

I can no longer sit, nor can I work.

Mosammad Bulbuli, a survivor and former seamstress of Rana Plaza, reports: “I can no longer sit, nor can I work or do anything else. I can't stand in front of a skyscraper anymore. I get scared when I think about working in a building like this.

 

 

Lack of compensation and accident insurance

Like Mosammad Bulbuli, dozens of women: They feel abandoned and wait until today for further financial support. My demand is to receive compensation that will be sufficient for our livelihood throughout the year. The compensation should be according to my merit if I worked until the age of 60," explains Gita Rani, who has not been able to move her left arm since the collapse of the Rana Plaza building. In accordance with international minimum standards such as ILO Convention 121 on benefits in respect of accidents at work and occupational diseases, compensation benefits should also be paid in monthly instalments as compensation for loss of income, depending on income.

Occupational health and safety as a fundamental human right

According to Article 25 of the UN Declaration, everyone has the right to safety in the event of illness and disability and occupational safety and health is also enshrined in the core labour standards of the ILO. According to ILO Convention 121, workers or survivors have the right to benefits in the event of (partial) incapacity for work as a result of accidents at work. Unfortunately, Bangladesh has not yet ratified the Convention. In the event of incapacity for work or death, workers and their relatives have thus far had no safeguarding mechanisms to compensate for the loss of income, such as monthly compensation payments. Current compensation payments consist only of one-off lump sums. At the same time, bureaucratic processes and long waiting lists make access difficult for many workers. How quickly the families are helped often depends on the willingness of the employers to help.

A necessary step: The EIS pilot project

Although the Accord, also thanks to the vehement demands of civil society, has been able to achieve important goals in the field of preparedness and accident prevention, aftercare in the event of accidents is still not granted in accordance with basic human rights standards. As a result of these abuses, in 2021 the EIS (Employment Injury Scheme) pilot project launched. Clothing workers who suffer an accident at work receive monthly payments that protect them and their families from poverty. The fund is funded by international brands such as C&A, H&M, Primark, Tchibo, Kik and Puma. The project is intended to pave the way for sustainable employer-funded accident insurance in Bangladesh and thus protect garment workers and their families from poverty as a result of accidents at work that lead to death or permanent disability.

In order to ensure the pilot's success, we call for the mechanism to be swiftly converted into a enforceable legal claim by 2027. Fashion brands shopping in Bangladesh should take the opportunity to support a sustainable initiative through the EIS pilot, thus ensuring that the dignity and rights of the people who make our clothes are continuously respected and protected, not only on special days of remembrance.

The project is funded by the Shurokkha Project.