Staff Reporter :
The High Court on Wednesday expressed its astonishment and anger at the silence of trade organisations regarding the death of more than fifty wokers in the inferno at Hashem Foods Factory in Narayanganj.
The court at the same time questioned the role of the trade organisations of the country in regards to the labour interests, safe workplaces and healthy factory environment and quality.
Barrister Sara Hossain, a Supreme Court lawyer, on Wednesday brought the issues of compensation, salary, bonus and arrears of the injured workers of the Hashem Foods Factory to the notice of the court.
Then the High Court Bench of Justice M Enayetur Rahim said, “Personally I try to follow the newspapers. I do not see any positive role of them (trade organisations). I think we have the opportunity to work in these sectors. Those of you who work with different organisations (human rights, environmental, legal aid), they come to court. The most unfortunate thing is that there is a business community
in our country, but they have not been seen to take any action on these issues.”
In this case (casualty in the Hashem Foods factory fire), I did not see that the FBCCI condoled the death of the workers by issuing a statement or any of their delegations went there, the court also observed.
Justice M Enayetur Rahim also said they had just figured out how to get compensation and incentives from the government and how to get waiver of bank loans.
By reminding the role of trade organisations, the judge said, “I think trade organisations, including the FBCCI, need to play a vital role in these cases. Whether the factories are running properly or not, where are the weaknesses, these issues should be addressed by them. There have been a lot of changes in garment sector now, as foreigners have given pressure about it. Nothing does work properly in our country unless you put pressure on it. It should be understood.”
But the court refused to pass any order over the salary and bonus of the injured workers as the process of paying them has already been started. I saw in the newspapers that they would be given bonus on Friday, said the judge.
Following a writ petition the same HC Bench on last Sunday asked the attorney general to communicate with the health and labour secretaries for ensuring proper treatment for the victims who were injured on July 8 in a deadly fire at a Narayanganj, food processing factory.
The court at the same time asked the authorities concerned to publish a list of the injured and the under treatment victims.
Ain O Salish Kendra (ASK), Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust (BLAST), Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (BELA) and Safety and Rights Society (SRS) filed the petition on Saturday as a public interest litigation to the HC.
The organisations sought High Court directives for compensation for the victims and an enquiry into the incident.
But the court refused to pass any order over the compensation. It asked the writ petitioners to wait till the identification of the deceased victims’ bodies.
In continuation of that petition the concerned lawyers on Wednesday brought the issues of salary and bonus of the injured workers to the notice of the court.
