Sexual harassment recorded on cellphone of garment workers - Bangladesh, 2022

TESTIMONIES

Md. Amzad, 24 years old from Shariatpur, joined Ratul Fabrics Ltd on February 2019 with a basic salary of BDT 6.100 or 50€. While working there, the workers decided to organize and form a labor union so they filled the required forms to register the union in October 2021. But while the request was being processed by the authorities, the factory authorities stopped the organizers from entering and fired them, including Amzad. Amzad submitted a grievance letter to the management which stayed without response. He then turned to NGWF which offered him legal assistance and eventually, Md. Amzad got BDT 51.794 compensation and was reinstated.

A garment worker (name not used to remain anonymous) at a factory called Shareem Group Textiles in Ashulia, near Dhaka. Though she is married, she was pressured into sex with one of the supervisors. He used his cellphone to record images and shared it with two other supervisors who threatened to share this on social media and with her husband if she didn’t also satisfy them. 

She sought NGWF support and with their help, filed a case against the supervisor at the local police station.

While initially, the police was not helpful and she was even fired from her job, eventually the continued pressure from the union organizer led the management to fire the first supervisor and reprimanding the two other. However, she still remains without a job…

Some results by intervention strategy...

Vocational training: 117 people, of which 80% women and  all under 35 years received vocational skill training through GK, on computer skills, women driving and to work as a paramedic.

Social economy: especially focusing on elderly, 80 seniors were supported through social economy initiative to ensure betterment of health, of which 51 were elderly women.

Labour rights: 182.844 people, of which 55% women and 80% younger than 35 years, were involved in the services by the partners to improve their working conditions. 

• 176.757 workers increased their awareness on labour standards and especially the minimum wages for the garment sector
• 4.589 workers per year were organised to increase membership
• 185 union members received basic training on labour rights
• 133 union leaders received advanced training on collective bargaining 
• 850 garment sector union members received legal assistance

Health and social protection law

• Almost 150.000 members, of which 2/3 are women increased their awareness about health and hygiene, family planning, health related messages, gender policy and rights.
• 30.300 garment workers and vulnerable people, of which over half were women, were organised to join the health insurance of GK.
• 40 women received basic training as a traditional birth attendee, and 60 members received training to work as a paramedic. 80 paramedics of which 60 are women, are trained to promote health insurance to the general public.
• Nearly 25.000 people received medical advice through specialised health camps, preventive care programs and were supplied with medicines, of which 18.830 are women. 7.745 garment workers, of which 5.865 women, received medical advice aid and support through health camps and health screenings.

Social security

• 170.000 workers, of which 94.000 are women and 134.300 under 35 years are informed about social security through media, poster and leaflets.
• 56 workers, of which 35 women and 50 under 35 years, were part of two basic trainings on social security.

Bruise of Qatar

 In 2010 the FIFA World Cup 2022 was awarded to Qatar. In Qatar there are more than 2 million migrant workers, many of them coming from Nepal and India. Construction workers, domestic workers, drivers, hotel staff, fishermen, … Majority of them have been working in slavery-like conditions and housing in squalid, overcrowded labour camps. Until 2020, under the Kafala system, migrant workers were subject to their sponsor’s approval to go back home or to change jobs, which led to many abuses.

For many years the international labour movement has been campaigning against these practices.

In 2017 an agreement was reached in the International Labour Organisation (ILO).

The State of Qatar agreed to put in place labour reforms to better protect the migrant workers.

GEFONT Nepal, NDWM India, WSM and ACV-CSC BIE are glad to present to you ‘Injury Time – Stories of Migrant Workers in Qatar’. This video documentary, directed by Hom Karki for Katha Nepal, a Nepal based production house which has previously produced the documentary ‘Bruise of Qatar’, tells you the stories of Nepali and Indian workers, looking for a better life beyond the border. 

Webinar: Financing shock responsive social protection systems, with Nepal presentation

One Nepali household in three suffers from some type of shock every year. We all remember the 2015 earthquake and the devastation it wrought. In its wake, the Nepali government set up a National Reconstruction Authority which took ages and much bureaucracy to support families to rebuild their houses. Meanwhile, every monsoon, landslides and flooding affect thousands of households. And then of course came COVID-19, which show more than half of the people lose their job or income, and almost 20% struggled to get food each day. 

Each time a crisis hits, a cry goes up to the government to assist those in need, and after a while, they scramble to put specific schemes in place to then support people. So food was provided during COVID, or if somebody passes away in a road accident, another scheme exists, or for loss of cattle or a house, but each time with varying authorities and paperwork.

In an ideal world, everybody would be covered and enrolled in social security, and we could use already these existing schemes to very quickly provide the affected households with support or cash transfers. But only one third of the Nepali households is enrolled in some sort of scheme... So how can we reach them all and quickly adapt schemes to reach everyone in an appropriate way quickly after a shock? 

This is what WSM Asia Coordinator Bruno Deceukelier and other distinguished panelists talked about in this 29 September 2022 webinar Financing shock responsive social protection, looking at various countries. Bruno presents INSP!R Nepal and the role of civil society and trade unions to advocate for adaptive social protection.

Speakers:

1. Doerte Bosse, Head of Sector for horizontal coordination, social protection and disabilities, European Union Directorate-General for International Partnerships
2. Céline Peyron Bista, SP&PFM Chief Technical Adviser, ILO
3. Nupur Kukrety, Social Policy Specialist UNICEF
4. Carlos Galian, Technical Officer, Social Protection Financing, ILO
5. Bruno Deceukelier, WSM Asia Coordinator
6. Getachew Berhanu Kebede, Social Policy Specialist, UNICEF

Moderator: Namrata Saraogi, Social Policy Specialist, UNICEF

As part of its knowledge exchange and communications initiative, the Programme is organizing a series of webinars to learn from country experiences and contribute to the international debate on innovative solutions to increase financing for strengthening national social protection systems to achieve universal coverage for all. This webinar was the second in a series, presenting concrete experiences on innovative options for financing building adaptive, responsive and resilient social protection systems. The webinar started with a presentation that provides insight into the Programme’s approach to strengthening social protection systems and making them more resilient to shocks. This was followed by country experiences.

You can watch the webinar on Youtube here and download the presentations here.

The European Commission's proposal must be strengthened to end corporate harm to human rights, the environment and climate

On 23 February 2022, the European Commission released its proposal for a directive on Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence. This directive could represent a landmark step forward in minimising the negative impacts of businesses on workers, communities and the environment worldwide. In response, over 220 NGOs and trade unions from around the world welcome the proposal as an essential and long-awaited step toward corporate accountability, responsible business conduct and access to justice. 

However, the proposal contains significant flaws that risk preventing the directive from achieving the positive impact that people, planet, and climate urgently need. The undersigned human rights, labour and environmental organisations and networks call on the European Parliament and EU Member States to strengthen the text in line with what EU citizens, workers and communities affected by corporate abuses worldwide have vocally and publicly demanded.

The joint statement, signed by INSP!R Asia and several of our members, outlines our collective views on how to improve the proposal to guarantee that the law will effectively prevent corporate harm to human rights, the environment and climate; as well as provide victims of corporate abuse with access to effective remedies. link 

Anniversary Rana Plaza: Demand to ensure safe working environment in the garment sector

Today is that black, tragic day that we remember the factory collapse and killing of over 1.100 workers on 24th April at Rana Plaza in Savar, shocking Bangladesh and the world. WSM partner National Garment Workers Federation (NGWF) arranged a month-long campaign and programs for Rana Plaza Workers' Murder Day, to lobby for safer working environment in the garment industry.

As part of this month-long program "Rana Plaza, Tazreen - Never Again", a Workers Rally and a flower wreath were held at the Rana Plaza site and monument on Sunday, 24th April, 2022 at 10.30.

Through the rally, workers demanded a safe workplace for all garment workers in Bangladesh, so that tragedy like Rana Plaza or the Tazreen fire never happen again. NGWF arranged a short assembly before the start of the rally and speeches were given by the central leaders, Rafikul Islam Rafik, Mrs Nasima Akter, Md Kabir Hosssain, Md Faridul Islam, Md Faruk Khan, Sweety Sultana etc.

Research on Inequality and social security in Asia-Pacific

A very interesting research was done by Development Pathways for the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), about Inequality and social security in the Asia-Pacific Region. The paper argues that high income inequality can engender a wide range of negative impacts an that investments in social security (universal schemes where contributory and tax financed mechanism are combined) are one of the most effective means of tackling inequality.  The report demonstrates that, both globally and in the Asia-Pacific region, universal social security systems are much more effective than poverty-targeted systems in reducing inequality. If countries in the region make the move to modern, universal lifecycle systems, the impacts on inequality would be impressive. And, the more that countries invest, the higher will be the impacts on family wellbeing, employment, social cohesion and economic growth.

You can read the full paper here.

Statement from the INSP!R Network for the International Women's Day: For a future of equality and access to the right to Social Protection

Under the slogan: For an equal future with access to the right to Social Protection, the International Network for Social Protection Rights - INSP!R demands on International Women's Day that women deserve an equal future without stigma, stereotypes or violence; a future that is sustainable, peaceful, with equal rights and opportunities for all.  

In these years, the COVID-19 pandemic provoked an unprecedented global crisis in the world of work, reflecting marked reductions in employment and labour participation, which translated into historic increases in unemployment (125 million jobs lost, according to ILO data), affecting women, young people and informal workers the most.  

The negative effects have contributed to the increase of multiple inequalities such as ethnicity, age, socio-economic status, disability or geographical location, further impacting women in precarious conditions and increasing their risk of social exclusion. This is a setback in social rights worldwide (UN Women).  

The INSP!R Network, present in Latin America & Caribbean, Asia, Africa and Europe, noted that women are placed in more precarious jobs, not only in terms of salary, but also in terms of working conditions, instability or violation of rights, as well as a greater probability of being employed in the informal economy.   

In 2020, only 46.9% of the world's population had access to at least one social protection benefit, and only 44.9% of mothers with new-born children had access to maternity cash benefits.  Even with women's greater vulnerability to poverty, only 23 per cent of the social protection and labour market measures adopted in response to COVID-19 are demonstrating gender sensitivity. The strain on health systems led to the disruption of essential services, including maternal health services, with an estimated 12 million women in 115 low- and middle-income countries experiencing difficulties with family planning services, resulting in 1.4 million unintended pregnancies according to UN Women (2022).  

This social crisis continues despite the economic recovery in some parts of the world, with unemployment rates and levels of poverty and extreme poverty higher than before COVID-19. The loss of employment and the reduction of labour income during the pandemic have particularly affected the lower income groups; it has also highlighted the vulnerability of a large part of the population in the medium-income groups, characterised by low levels of contributions to contributory social protection and very low coverage of non-contributory social protection.  

The high levels of informality facilitated the termination of employment relationships without compensation, for example, domestic workers found themselves in irregular situations in which they were exposed to contagion and forced to carry out tasks outside of those agreed.  Of these workers, only 25.5% were covered by or paid social security contributions. Although progress has been made in some countries with regulations governing the sector, based on ILO Convention 189, 11.2% of them are living in poverty. In addition, women's workload in the home has intensified, with data from 16 countries showing that women spent 31 hours a week on care work.  (UN Women) This increase in domestic responsibilities resulting from crisis confinement has raised the risk of a "return to the conventional" with regard to gender roles.  

Moreover, reports of violence against women and femicides increased in many parts of the world. Even before the pandemic, it was estimated that 245 million women aged 15 and over had experienced domestic, physical, sexual and workplace violence.    

In light of this, the INSP!R Network and its partners demand that:   

-Public policies should focus on the real situation of women in all spheres and put an end to the dynamics of social exclusion. If we do not broaden our vision, if we do not incorporate the gender approach in the fight against poverty and social exclusion at a time as important as the present, we will be perpetuating and reinforcing the inequality of our system. And instead of moving forward, we will be moving backwards. The current crisis cannot but be an opportunity to transform our global care system and to guarantee real access to gender responsive social protection systems.  

-Public administrations, policy makers, economic and social actors and society as a whole should promote and implement response plans to the current health, social and economic crisis that address the gendered impact of the pandemic. They should promote education for equality with the aim of eradicating the intergenerational transmission of gender inequality on which our current system is based.  

-States should orient development processes towards guaranteeing the full exercise of all human rights, including the right to social protection and labour rights for all women. This entails addressing:  

1. the indivisibility of women's rights, including sexual and reproductive rights, economic, social and cultural rights,  
2. the importance of dismantling the unjust social organisation of care, patriarchal cultural patterns and male-centred biases in economic, social and cultural systems,   
3. Promote the adoption and implementation of laws, policies, comprehensive and multisectoral action plans, international standards such as conventions 189 and 190 of the ILO to prevent, address, punish and eradicate different forms of gender-based violence and discrimination against women.  

The INSP!R Network recognises that there can be no progress and equality without women's equal rights and full participation; and there can be no gender equality without women's enjoyment of their human and labour rights, essential for women's empowerment and an equal future with the right to social protection for all.

Article: The Landscape of Social Protection Programmes in Nepal

Nabin Maharjan and Saroj Acharya from WSM partner the Social Protection Civil Society Network with Sandhya Thapa wrote an article regarding social protection schemes in Nepal.

Stimulating social protection programmes have a greater impact on the lives of people. More than 80 social protection programmes are being implemented by the Government of Nepal. The development partners, bilateral and multilateral agencies have been assisting the government for a long time however, the gap is realised in the programme integration and lack of inter-ministerial cooperation to set the results. 12 federal ministries are regulating social protection programmes through provincial and local governments. Some programmes have similar nature and might have certain duplication in beneficiaries, thus leaving the eligible ones excluded from the support. Based on the information gathered from year-wise reports of federal ministries, government line ministries, and various development partners, set the priority areas to enhance sufficient programme strategies for better social protection coverage. This article highlights the federal social protection schemes and programmes that are scattered, the status of beneficiaries, social accountability, and identifies the challenges faced by beneficiaries and the justification of the requirement on an integrated social protection framework.

Read the full article here and download the full Journal here.

AREDS Health Team resolved to ensure 100% vaccination to all eligible population in 4 Primary health centers in Karur District Tamil Nadu

Following the ravages of COVID-19 pandemic in the past two years, the present Tamil Nadu government has been undertaking vaccination programme for administering vaccine to every adult in the state. There are widespread campaigns and visual advertisements on the importance of getting vaccinated are ongoing. Despite, many of common people in the state simply ignore them because of their ignorance and misconception about vaccines. Anyway, it will be risky to leave a death-defying pathological entity prevail on the earth just because of the lack of knowledge and misunderstanding of people. 

Therefore, AREDS decided to enhance the awareness of people in its operational area in Karur district on the detrimental effect of corona pandemic. Hence, it has launched a six-month programme for assisting the government’s effort for ensuring 100 per cent vaccination in the state of Tamil nadu. Accordingly, it has selected 196 villages that come under the healthcare of four Primary Health Centres (Panjapatti, Veppangudi, Innungur and Ayyarmalai) and 19 Habitat Service Centres  in Karur district.  Totally, the programme covers 73610 people. 

The PHCs and the villages which have been chosen for the programme are located in remote areas where people have less public transport facilities.  As many of the villagers are illiterate and poor economically, they pay less attention to their health and hygiene. So, AREDS undertook a survey on the health status and on the number of people who got vaccinated and who have not yet got vaccinated in the villages chosen at the outset. Diverse surprising reasons were put forward by the people, who have not had vaccination, during the survey. Here are some of the responses from them:

1. People have several ailments already. Corona vaccine may aggravate health issues.
2. Pregnancy and childbirth: corona vaccine may terminate pregnancy. It may produce complexities during childbirth. If lactating mothers get vaccinated, it may affect the infants.
3. Habitual drunkards shun vaccination because they have to lose the pleasure of drinking.    
4. If they get ill after getting vaccinated, they cannot work and consequently farming practices will be affected.
5. People are already afflicted with TB, Asthma and diabetes. Corona vaccine may complicate the health condition further.

Stimulated by the astounding statements put forward by the villagers during survey, AREDS organized a review meeting of volunteers to find out the ways and means to dispel the fear and misapprehension of people about vaccination. In order to build a collective responsibility to eradicate the spread of pandemic, AREDS decided to involve the elected representatives of panchayats in the campaign.  

Review meeting with volunteers

In view of that, AREDS organized two meetings with the elected representatives of panchayats, one in Pappakkaapatti and the other one in Ayyarmalai. AREDS also invited the respective Block Medical Officer to the meeting.

The panchayat presidents suggested various ideas for convincing the people on the need for getting vaccinated:

1. It could be made mandatory that only those who have had vaccination can get articles from ration shops.
2. Village Administrative Officers can certify only those who have had vaccination 
3. The list of people who have not got vaccinated must be handed over to the panchayat presidents so that they could persuade them to go for vaccination.
4. Making people understand the situation is very much essential. If they are convinced, they will convince many others who they know well. 
5. The panchayat presidents suggested various ideas for convincing the people on the need for getting vaccinated:

At the end of the meeting, the panchayat presidents asked the volunteers to give them the list of people who have not got vaccinated. Presently, they have the list in their hands and they will visit them door-to-door and persuade them to go for vaccination. Hence, collective responsibility has been built to promote vaccination programme of the government. 

The Block Medical Officer of Inungur presented a brief discloser, which was an eye opener for all those who shun vaccination because of irrational beliefs, in the meeting with the elected representatives of panchayats and the volunteers of the programme: “People think that they should not consume meat if or after they get vaccinated. Many people have strong immune system to bear the effect of vaccines. Very few people suffer the effect of vaccines. Likewise, for digesting meat, the body needs much energy. Hence, it is advisable to avoid eating meat on the day people get vaccinated for avoiding double burden. There are also drunkards among those who get vaccinated. If a drunkard slips down while walking, after getting vaccinated, people blame it on vaccines definitely not on the body condition deteriorated by the consumption of alcohol. People who have health complaints already and the elderly people and pregnant women should compulsorily get vaccinated. Vaccines do not have ill effects on people and they do not aggravate the ailments that are already there in human bodies. Therefore, it is our duty to convince them by explaining the facts.”   

Presently, our volunteers, with the statistics obtained, have started motivating people by visiting them door-to-door to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Consequently, people, who have not at all had vaccination, go for the first dose of vaccination and those who have had the first dose of vaccination go for the second dose of vaccination. It gives dazzling ray of hope that we could assist the government’s effort to achieve100 per cent of vaccination in the villages that come under four PHCs and 19 HSCs.   

Now, the government has announced that children aged 15 to 18 can get dose of corona virus vaccine from 3rd of January 2022 onwards. Therefore, we could help the government’s effort to get the children vaccinated. 

Taking Collective responsibility with the government, members of grassroots governance and the civil society organizations will ensure health to all.

Launching INSP!R video and brochure

Everyone needs social protection along their life!

More than half of the world population has no access to social protection. These people are left to their own devices when they are ill, unemployed, pregnant or old. However, social protection is not a privilege, but a human right. It is also the best insurance against inequalities, poverty and exclusion.

To guarantee this right to social protection for all, close to 100 social movements mobilize across 24 countries in Africa, Latin America, Asia and Europe. They join their forces in the global network INSP!R, the International Network for Social Protection Rights.

Current social protection policies leave too many people unprotected and need to be transformed, to include all working women and men in both the formal and informal economy, those in precarious employment and those unable to perform paid work.

INSP!R claims its role as a key actor for structural social changes. Our network provides a rich source of experiences and expertise, allowing us to learn from each other, strengthen our actions and develop a common strategy to enforce our social protection rights at international, continental and national level. WSM is proud to be part of this global network. Let’s discover together our presentation video and our vision.

The brochure detailing experiences and our vision can be found here. 

Nepal Social Protection Week: an opportunity to put the spotlight on social protection

Nepal celebrated its National Social Protection Week and the Social Security Day on the 27th of November, which was an excellent occasion to emphasize our recommendations and activities. This is part of the EU supported project of Public Finance Management for Social Protection Floors, implemented with the ILO and UNICEF, where WSM facilitates the involvement of civil society under the umbrella of INSP!R Nepal.

Meeting with the UN Rapporteur Olivier De Schutter

A delegation of INSP!R Nepal met with the visiting UN Special Rapporteur on Extreme Poverty, M Olivier De Schuttter on the 30th of November.  For more details on his official visit, click here.

Since M De Schutter is a strong supporter of social protection, this being one of the four priorities during this visit, we felt this would be an excellent opportunity to transmit our recommendations from civil society and trade unions, so these can be included in his official report to the Nepali government.

Based on the social charter we drafted and published last year, we updated our recommendations through ITUC-NAC and SPCSN, which are compiled here in two documents:

1. Recommendations on non-contributory SP here
2. Recommendations on contributory SP here

Over 100 stakeholders provided comments and feedback. The delegation was primarily composed out of SPCSN and the trade unions. M De Schutter listened carefully to our views and analysis related to the social protection in Nepal. Discussion topics included:

• Progress by the Nepali government in addressing key gaps in the social protection system, including access constraints, child poverty, informal workers, and data and evaluation gaps;
• Main obstacles to implement universal social protection in the context of the federalization of the country, including legal challenges brought to social insurance and devolution of social protection to lower levels of government;
• Fiscal space needed to make social protection universal;
• Main recommendations to government.

Many of our input can be found in the preliminary report of the UN Rapporteur released on the 9th of December here (social protection from page 13 onward). An extract: "The Government should ensure its skills and training programs reach the poorest families. While public works programs such as the Prime Minister’s Employment Program have considerable potential, in practice the program has yet to deliver on its promise of providing 100 days of work per person per year.

In the country, 80 percent of workers are informal, which exposes them to higher rates of abuse, largely because the Government lacks the ability to enforce minimum wage legislation in the informal sector. Although informal workers should also contribute to and benefit from the Social Security Fund, there is currently no plan to include them in the program.”

 

Local level Help desk

The Social Protection Civil Society Network (SPCSN) in coordination with our local partner Protection Nepal organized a help desk on social protection for two days in southern Nepal Kalaiya district. The objective of this helpdesk during the social protection week was to facilitate service delivery at the local level for the protection, upliftment and ensuring the rights of senior citizens, single women, people with disabilities, children, marginalized, poor and disadvantaged groups under social protection. An estimated 135 local community members were provided assistance regarding the legal provisions for social protection services.

Deputy Secretary of Kalaiya Sub-Metropolitan City Office, M Pralhad Varnawal, Officer Mustak Ansari, F Rekha Chaudhary, Section Officer, Women, Children and Senior Citizen, M Seshnath Paswan, Civil Registration and Social Protection Section, M Sunil Yadav, Account section, and M BrijMohan Kushuwaha, Chairperson, Protection Nepal and other beneficiaries took part in the inaugural ceremony.

Increasing awareness: articles published on social protection
As part of the National Social Protection week in Nepal, SPCSN ensured the publication in the national newspaper The Rising Nepal on 3 December 2021 of an article dealing with Social Protection in Nepal: Current Status & Major Concerns, written by Sandhya Thapa. The full article can be accessed here.

Other articles can be found here.

OHS as a fundamental principle and right at Work? Virtual conversations

As a follow up to the ILO 100th years Centennial Declaration on the Future of Work, the ILO has decided to proceed with the possibility to add ‘Safety and Health at work’ as fundamental principle and rights at work in the coming Labor Conference in June 2022. Find out more in our virtual conversation on “Safety and Health is a Fundamental Right at Work”, organized by INSP!R Asia (International Network for Social Protection Rights) and ACV-CSC International.

Over 50 participants from 6 countries (Bangladesh, Nepal, Cambodia, India, Indonesia and Philippines), our colleagues from Belgium attended, as well as from relevant stakeholders and networks like the ILO and ITUC-AP. These conversations were based on the publication "Safety and Health is a fundamental Right at Work" by INSP!R Asia, which can be downloaded here.

DAY 1 (Monday 25 Oct.)

Opening session

1. Bruno Deceukelier (INSP!R Asia): Welcome
2. Bismo Sanyoto (INSP!R Asia): ToR Webinar , technical announcement (interpretation English to Bahasa Indonesia), how many participants registered, ask questions
3. Bart Verstraeten, Director of WSM: Opening remarks
4. Repon Chowdury (BSPAN/ OSHE Bangladesh): OSH context in Asia

1. Session 1: Food for thought from Farmers and Fishers
1. Do farmers have the most dangerous work?  Lourthu Samy (AREDS India):
2. Troubled waters for young Fishermen - Errol Samarista Alonzo (YCW ASPAC):
3. OSH in Food industry e.g Small-scale farmers and Fishers - Visal Tan (OXFAM Asia):

1. Session 2: Values in Chains
1. Palm Oil industry- Timboel Siregar, INSP!R Indonesia
2. PRISMA Initiative and promoting HRDD in MNCs - Maria Emeninta, ACV-CSC International
2. Session 3: Do garment working conditions suit you?
1. Health Care Insurance Scheme for Bangladeshi garment  - Dr Kadir, GK Bangladesh
2. Not for the faint hearted: Garment - Ath Thorn, CLC Cambodia
3. New Accord on Fire and Safety in Bangladesh, Sara Ceustermans, Clean Clothes Campaign Flanders

DAY 2 (Tue. 26th of Oct.)

Opening

1. Bruno Deceukelier (INSP!R Asia): Welcome

2. Maria Emeninta (ACV-CSC International): About the Webinar Session 2

3. Shoya Yoshida (General Secretary ITUC AP): Opening Remarks

1. Session 4: Building workers power globally
1. Migrant Workers - Smritee Lama Tamang, GEFONT Nepal
2. Global OSH Brigades - Najrina Jalil, BWI AP Programme Officer
2. Session 5: Caring for the caregivers
1. Health Workers in COVID times- Robert Mendoza, AHW Philippines
2. Domestic Workers - Sr. Valarmathi Muthu, NDWM India
3. Who cares about the caregivers, Care Work - Fish Ip (International Domestic Workers Federation)
3. Session 6: The road ahead

1. When the road kills, public transport workers - Ajay Kumar Rai, NTUC Nepal
2. Digital Platform workers - Rekson Silaban, KSBSI Indonesia
3. Key measures to promote safety and health for workers in the informal economy, Kawakami, Tsuyoshi, Senior OSH Specialist in Delhi
4. Promoting safety and health as Fundamental Right at Work - Stijn Sintubin, ACV-CSC International

Covid-19 vaccine survey: vaccination rate among workers in Bangladesh is negligible

Bangladesh Occupational Safety Health and Environment Foundation (OSHE) conducted a rapid sample survey among 60 workers at 6 working sectors (readymade garments, leather, ship breaking, construction, waste recycling and home based work) under the district of Dhaka, Gajipur and Chittagong. It found that only 27% workers received  the COVID-19 vaccine and 73% of workers have not yet received any vaccine from the government. The survey was carried out by OSHE foundation between 15 August to 10 September 2021.  

The analysis showed that 47% workers surveyed already registered through the government designated app (Surokkha) as managed by the Department of Health, but most have been waiting for a long time to receive a date for the first dose of the vaccine. 30% workers from the survey informed that they missed to register through the Surokkha app due to lack of know-how, lack of access to internet, lack of required registration related support from concerned employer, any relevant government agency, local health service provider or community based organizations.

According to a sector wise analysis, only 3% workers in the RMG sector received COVID-19 vaccine,  5% workers in the construction sector, 3% in leather, 8% in waste recycling sector and only 7% of home based workers. 

The vaccination rate among the ship breaking sector was found to be nil. Vaccination rate among female workers was found to be only 12% of the total number of workers. None of the workers from any sector reported any infection with the corona virus while only 8% of the workers had gone for covid-19 testing at local government facilities in the past.

Nepal televises a series of debates on social protection issues

WSM partner in Nepal, the Social Protection Civil Society Network SPCSN, made a series of episodes which touch upon various aspects of social protection in Nepal. Produced through Kantipur and some also with the support of UNICEF and Save the Children, each episode lasts about 50 minutes, is in Nepali but often subtitled and can be watched through this playlist here: