State Minister for Labour and Employment M Mujibul Haque on Tuesday said the government fully recognises that a strong, healthy and well-cared labour force is essential for the continued economic growth and success of the country.
He said investments made in improving the lives of working class families through medical care, paid maternity leave as well as time and privacy for breastfeeding can encourage women to return to work and also give their babies the best start in life.
“Breastfeeding, as my colleagues in the Health and Family Welfare Ministry refer, is best for all babies, not only for their physical growth but also for their mental development,” he said.
He was addressing a function marking the launch of a national initiative titled “Mothers@Work” on Tuesday. The Unicef in joint collaboration with the government of Bangladesh launched the programme.
The State Minister said, “If our workers have to continue to compete in the global market, we as business leaders must invest in our current workers as well as in the new generation. This programme that is implemented in partnership with the MoHFW is very well placed to do that and has my full support.”
The programme aims at supporting maternity rights and promoting breastfeeding at workplaces for the growing number of female workers in the industrial sector, especially in the country’s readymade garments (RMG) sector, which has the largest concentration of female workers.
The first of its kind in Bangladesh, Mothers@Work initiative is implemented in partnership with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the Ministry of Labour and Employment, as well as with private and civil society stakeholders to ensure maternity protection at workplace.
In addition, this initiative will preserve the health of mothers and newborn and at the same time provide employment security for working women and their families.
Unicef Bangladesh Representative Edouard Beigbeder said most of these working women in the readymade garment sector are of reproductive age and many of them are mothers who are responsible for nurturing the next generation of Bangladesh citizens.
“But for the fear of losing their sole source of income, many mothers return to work too early, before they have physically recovered and stop breastfeeding their infants.”
A joint work-plan between UNICEF and ILO’s BetterWork programme to support the initiative’s implementation in the sector has already been established with BetterWork Bangladesh who currently work in over 120 factories in the sector.
“Breastfeeding should not be seen as an obstacle to productivity. Women who breastfeed are more likely to stay in their job for the long term which is a good way of retaining the skilled workers that the RMG industry depends upon,” said Srinivas Reddy, ILO Country Director for Bangladesh.
Initially piloted in two RMG companies, DBL and Vision Apparels, efforts need to be bolstered to ensure that this programme reaches all working mothers and their children in over 5,000 RMG units scattered across Bangladesh so that the wellbeing of mothers can be protected and their children can have the early nutrition they deserve, said the ILO. Developed through national consultations with all relevant stakeholders the Mothers@Work programme comprises of seven minimum standards which are addressing the challenges faced by young mothers. The standards include paid maternity leave, provision of breastfeeding accommodations, provision of breastfeeding breaks and flexible working arrangements, and provision of day care.
