Title of Application: Decent Work Programme in Bangladesh

Project period: 3 Years (01/01/2021 to 31/12/2023)

Total bBudget : 14,239,000 BDT

Donor: Diakonia Bangladesh

Geographic area

SRS’s geographical location is separated by issues and purpose. For ensuring compensation rights of workers it targets every corner of Bangladesh means wherever the workers work and are entitled for compensation it supports them irrespective of area or types of work.

Presently Dhaka, Gazipur, Narayanganj, Lalmonirhat, and all the divisional cities are the main targeted areas where SRS have involvement. SRS has a plan to expand the area according to the need and purpose of the project it will design in future.

Details of groups/forums:

• Investigation into workplace deaths and injuries-300
• Legal support for compensation-45-60
• Empowering women workers of construction and garment Sector-200
• Trade Union (TU-)225
• Construction sector-1000
• Garments Sector -13200
• Sharing meeting with Developers Company-30
• Media -90
• Civil Society Organization (CSO) -300
• Duty Bearers/Right Bearers-500
• Networking -260
• General awareness (indirect) -80,000

 

List other stakeholder:

• Department of inspection for factories and establishments, Department of Labour, Ministry of Labour, Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment, Ministry of women and child affairs
• Police Station
• Employers and employer’s federations (REHAB, BACI, BGMEA, BKMEA, BTA)
• Journalists
• Dependent Families of deceased workers
• Workers Representative Organizations (WRO)
• NGOs
• SramikNirapotta Forum (SNF)
• KHANI network- network on food rights for all
• Democratic Budget Movement (DBM)- a movement on budget

 

Overall Objective and Indicator :

Obj 1: Workplace Health and Safety is improved and compensation rights is ensured

Indicator:

• 45-60 injured workers and dependent families obtained compensation through legal actions and mediation in 3 years
• 45 (33% female) duty bearers are Sensitized about compensation rights
• working process and practices of about 25% construction sites improved
• 40 trade union committee members are trained on occupational health and safety and conduct 22 discussion meeting with general members of trade union
• 40 trade union committee members are trained on Bangladesh Labour Act 2006 and conduct 22 discussion meeting with general members of trade union
• 30 (40% female) stake holders sensitized to create decent workplace
• 25% developers provided PPE (personal protective equipments) to the workers and utilisation of PPE increased accordingly.

• regulatory bodies like RAJUK and DIFE more concerned about health and safety of workers

 

Obj 2. SRS initiatives contributed towards decent work and economic growth

Indicator:

• 580 (53%female) male and female workers are aware about ILO Convention 190
• Community are aware on COVID-19 pandemic, its impact, preventive measures and how to deal with including hygiene practice and social distancing.

 

• vulnerable women garment workers families are taking prevention measures of Covid-19 through hygiene kits support

 

• vulnerable families are recovering of livelihood essentials through  multipurpose cash grant support

 

• Readymade garments workers from the targeted locations are received medico-legal support as appropriate and their voices are amplified in case of facing issues of violence and harassment
• 300 CSO’s leaders and 30 national & local level organization increased their participation on National and local government budgetary and planning process

 

• Sensitize and engage a number of mainstream electronic and print media as well as using social media to capture and disseminate popular budgetary demands and bring the attention of the policy makers on issues related to budget and fiscal governance.

 

• Improved transparency by providing more and better information on essential public service to the parliament and to the public

 

Obj 3. All Forms of discrimination and violation against women, children and other groups is significantly reduced

Indicator:

• 200 Women workers are aware about gender-based violence and Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) and maintaining proper health and hygiene in their personal life.
• 40 male trade union leader are trained on gender

• the impacts of COVID-19 on linguistic minority in Dhaka, Khulna and Saidpur are assessed

 

• Establish a rights advocate system to help the Covid-19 affected persons access government services and address community and domestic issues.

 

• Engage in national advocacy with Bangladesh Government and humanitarian actors to address the issues of linguistic minority.

 

• Engage in national advocacy with Bangladesh Government and humanitarian actors to address the insufficiencies of the 2016 Draft Citizenship Bill.
• RMG Factory based existing and/or newly formed structures functioned effectively.

 

• Effective mechanism to prevent Violence against Women (VAW) was established and functional in partner factories.

 

Obj 4. SRS initiatives contributed towards Freedom of association, social security and wellbeing of workers

Indicator:

• 40 (20% female) construction trade union committee members are trained on financial management and good governance
• Workplace cooperation for inclusive & sustainable business was recognized and strengthened.
• Duty bearers & right bearers at different level were sensitized on ensuring RMG workers’ safety & security.

Obj 5.Institutional capacity is standardized

Indicator:

• 8 staffs are more competent in thematic issues like gender, human rights, good governance as well as program, finance and admin issues;
• Gender equality improved at organization, board and staff level;

• Resource mobilization of organization increased

 

Work strategies for implementation:

In our proposed projects we have considered some main strategies to achieve the overall strategic goal in 3 years. The main strategies are:

Baseline survey– A baseline survey including a detailed Knowledge, Attitudes and Practice (KAP) survey targeting workers, Trade Unions, CSOs, factory based structure and management, Owner Associations and Government will be conducted.

Information Collection– 300 workplace incident information are collected and reviewed. It will develop a reliable data bank on workplace death and injuries.

Free Legal Support- Suitable cases for compensation byreviewing 300 investigation reports into workplace deaths and injuries. 45-60 workplace victims and families are compensated by free legal support.

Training of Trainers (ToT)- ToTon Financial management and Goodgovernance will improve capacity of construction trade union committee members to function trade unions internal activity and after that they will trained others finance and organisation secretary.

Trainings- Through the training of occupational health and safety (OSH), Bangladesh Labour Act 2006 (BLA)and gender trade union committee members (Construction, Garment and Tannery) are trained and they will aware general workers. Risk assessment training will be conducted for safety committee members of garment factory.SRS will train community Rights Advocates from the Urdu-speaking Bihari community in Bangladesh. Rights Advocates will facilitate the use of identity documents (national ID cards) and also track each case so as to monitor the implementation of the relevant legal frameworks. Through the trainings a critical mass of informed citizens developed and empowered capable of contributing to making a participatory and democratic budgeting and planning system.

Counseling-ThroughPsyco social care SRS will aware garment workers about their mental health.

Discussion Meeting- Discussion meeting on occupational health and safety (OSH) and Bangladesh Labour Act 2006 (BLA) will create awareness among construction workers. Discussion Meeting on ILO Convention 190 will improve awareness to create decent workplace among TU leader and general workers of Construction, Garments and Tannery sector. Discussion Meeting on SRHR/VAW/Women Rights will create awareness for eliminating violence in the women group member.

Divisional Sharing Meeting- Through this meeting Labour Court are sensitized about compensation rights.

Sharing Meeting- Through sharing meeting with developers will improve construction safety for workers. They sensitized and ensure health and safety of workers.

Press Conference- Medias are sensitized on decent workplace issue and they will publish positive and negative report on it. Medias are influential for creating decent workplace in the country.Press conference to share people’s opinion and/ or reaction before and post national budget session.

Campaign- Campaign on promoting women rights in workplace and safe workplace for stone crushing sector will be organized. Day observation in collaboration with network on International Women’s Day (8th March), OHS Day (28th April) and May Day (1st May), Rana Plaza (24 April) and Tazreen Day (24 November) will improve decent workplace in the country.

Advocacy and Lobby- Advocacy with stakeholders of Stone Crushing sector, Lobby meeting with DIFE/DoL/MoLE/BLWF, Dialogue with stakeholders will be organized to review laws/rules and policies. Engage in national advocacy with Bangladesh Government and humanitarian actors to address the issues of linguistic minority and insufficiencies of the 2016 Draft Citizenship Bill.Lobby with ministry of planning, finance and other relevant offices to place popular budgetary demands related to essential public services and issues of local concern before the relevant Ministries and government agencies.

Networking Meeting- Networking meeting with women TU, NJK, CBOs, CSOs will be strengthened women leadership.

IEC Material Development- Workers’ friendly education materials (booklet, brochures, leaflets) will be developed and distributed. Besides, worker friendly campaign materials on different project issues will be developed and distributed regularly and periodically. Handbill/flyer/pamphlet,posters,stickers,calendars,Handbooks and Brochure will be printed under this activity.

Publications-Annual Death Report and state of labour will be published every year. These publications will help to create future strategies and action plan.

Research- Research the impacts of COVID-19 on linguistic minority in Dhaka, Khulna and Saidpur.

Activating the Parliamentary Caucus on National Planning and Budget to put forward the budgetary reform agenda in the National Parliament with specific recommendations supported by rigorous research and consultation. National Parliament will be noticed through Private Bills and other parliamentary measures.

 

Coalition Building with required understanding, knowledge and commitment to democratizing the budgetary process in Bangladesh. In this case, the existing Platform called Democratic Budget Movement (DBM) will be broadened and strengthened to carry forward the campaign with renewed interest and strength. Local government representatives will be included in the coalition. Social media and a webpage/website of DBM will be utilized for the promotion and reach mass people.

 

Media Mobilization as part of creating mass awareness and bringing the attention of the policy makers to the importance of Budgetary Reform. Both electronic and print media will be involved in implementing the projects so that they can bring the right agendas to the public notice.

 

Consultation and Dialogue with local and national level policy makers, representatives of concerned Ministries, Medias and CSOs will enable the project to reach the relevant stakeholders. Policy papers, campaign materials, booklets will be utilized to reach the stakeholders, expecting that they will apply those materials in real life discussion and policy framing.

 

A pool of budget analysts/campaigners will be developed who will monitor the implementation of budget and publish the report in the media print, electronics and social media.

Opinion poll- Opinion poll to capture popular budget demand at the national and sub-national level.

Humanitarian Support-is very much important when the targeted rights-holders become affected by any disaster like covid, cold, flood, building collapse, fire etc. whether it is man-made or natural. In absence of humanitarian support right-holders will face a huge hurdle that may cause the loss of their lives. It is evident that humanitarian supports play enormous role to build trust/confidence between rights-holders and implementing partners, which ultimately contributes to obtain the goal of the project and of the organisation as well.

End-line survey: As a part of the project evaluation an end-line survey will be conducted