Female workers employment ratio in the country has increased side by side with wage disparity reduction significantly with their male counterparts.
“Disparity of wages and allowances of women working in Readymade Garment (RMG) industries have been improved significantly than that of the past thanks to the present government’s initiative,” State Minister for Labour and Employment Mujibul Haque, MP, said this on Tuesday on the eve of International Women’s Day.
He said the government has undertaken a number of special programmes including training for women to increase their efficiency aimed at creating more employment for women-folk.
As part of the government programme, he said, two dormitories, one in the capital and the other at the port city, are being constructed for women workers for solving their housing problem.
During maternity period, Haque said, a special allowance amounting Taka 25,000 introduced for RMG workers. Besides, special financial assistance is being given to RMG workers and domestic help from workers welfare foundation.
The state minister said two international labour organizations have started their training programme in the five northern districts from last year for raising efficiency of long neglected women workers there.
According to a survey, some 5.81 crore workers have been working in different sectors in the country. Of them 1.68 crore are women and 50 lakhs of them are working in RMG industries alone. Women are contributing 20 per cent more in the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), it said.
Considering the women’s importance in the economy, the survey said, at present the number of country’s domestic help is 20 lakhs. Of them many have been working on contact basis as there is no wage and allowances introduced for domestic help in the country but the government has taken initiative to bring them under labour law for ensuring their rights.
An official familiar to Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET) said that a total of 5.64 lakhs Bangladeshi women workers went aboard with job since 1991. Bangladeshi women workers are mainly working in Middle Eastern countries like Saudi Arabia, UAE, Lebanon, Jordan, Oman and Qatar.
According to the ministry of expatriate welfare and overseas employment, over 9.5 million Bangladesh workers have been working in 160 countries of the world.
