IndustriAll Bangladesh Council (IBC) has demanded Tk57.60 lakh as compensation for each of the workers who died in the Rana Plaza building collapse.
The IBC has set Tk57.60 lakh as compensation based on the loss of future earnings and pain and sufferings in line with the article 121 of ILO convention, said Roy Ramesh Chandra, general secretary of IBC, while addressing a press conference yesterday in the city.
The Press conference was organised also to announce a month-long programme on the occasion of first anniversary of Rana Plaza Building collapse.
The amount of the compensation would be count based on the age of workers when he or she died, said Roy.
The compensation amount has been fixed calculating Tk50,000 for pain and sufferings, Tk6,000 for monthly wage on an average, Tk12,000 for two festive bonus and plus 5% for yearly inflation, he added.
The buyers, factory owners, brands, the BGMEA and the government have to pay the compensation comprehensively, said Roy adding the BGMEA, ILO and the government are bound to compensate the victims as per the ILO convention.
The organisation has chalked out a month-long programme, which include holding of multi-stakeholder meetings, forming human chain in front of the National Press Club and gathering in front of the Rana Plaza on April, 16, 18 and 23 respectively.
Replying to a query, Nazrul Islam Khan, chairman of IBC, said they could not count the proper numberof the worksas the factory owners did not provide any appointment letters to the workers.
This compensation package will set a standard for the compensation of workers working in the country’s in several sectors, he hoped.
Nazrul Islam, also a standing committee member of BNP, alleged that the labour law was not implementing in a proper way for ensuring RMG workers’ right for forming trade union and associations.
The leaders of the organisation also demanded compensation for the victims of Tazreen Fashion and Aswad Composite in light with ‘Compensation Trust Fund’.
They also urged the government and relevant stake holders to set a permanent solution and standard to compensate all the workers, who were either dead or injured in any factory disaster.
The organisation has identified 3,639 workers for compensation while 116 workers have been identified as missing.
Currently, the Trust Fund has US$8m while British retailer Primark would give $1m to the fund. About $40m is needed to pay 3,000 workers or the families of those killed in the collapse on April 24 last year. At least 1,133 workers were killed and over 2,500 injured in the incident.
The Trust Fund, backed by the International Labour Organisation, includes IndustriALL, UNI Global Union and the Clean Clothes Campaign. The ILO is the trustee of the fund.
