Informal-sector workers should be brought under Employment Injury Scheme

Informal-sector workers should be brought under the Employment Injury Scheme (EIS) as part of universal social protection, while the scheme should be expanded to cover workers across all sectors, speakers said today (29 September).

They also called for necessary laws and regulations to make the EIS universal after its pilot phase ends in 2027, following the model currently being implemented in the ready-made garment (RMG) sector.

They made the remarks at a media orientation on the EIS pilot organised by the Bangladesh Institute of Labour Studies (BILS) in collaboration with the International Labour Organization (ILO) at the National Press Club in Dhaka.

BILS Vice Chairman and EIS Governance Board member Anwar Hossain chaired the event, moderated by board member Touhidur Rahman.

BILS Executive Director Syed Sultan Uddin Ahmed said the EIS pilot is helping provide financial support to garment workers and their families when an earning member dies or becomes unable to work.

"Without the earning member, an entire family faces severe financial hardship," he said, stressing the need for collective efforts to strengthen workers' social protection.

ILO-EIS Chief Technical Adviser Syed Saad Hossain Gilani said the scheme provides three types of support: financial assistance equal to 50% of wages, rehabilitation support for workers with disabilities, and benefits for both workplace and road accidents.

BILS Joint Secretary General Sakil Akhter Chowdhury, who presented the keynote paper, said 574 workers are currently receiving benefits under the EIS.

So far, 248 accidents have been covered by the scheme, with dependants of 161 deceased workers and 87 permanently disabled workers receiving a total of Tk4.28 crore in compensation.

According to the presentation, the EIS helps workers cope with workplace risks and income loss, strengthens social protection and helps reduce poverty. It also contributes to better labour-management relations and compliance with international standards.

The speakers made three key recommendations: expanding the EIS model to workers in all sectors, bringing informal-sector workers under the scheme, and making the EIS universal through necessary laws and regulations after the pilot ends in 2027.

Salauddin Swapan, general secretary of IndustriALL Bangladesh Council, said the initiative began in 2022 and has led to compensation provisions being incorporated into labour law.

He expressed hope that the government and employers would continue the initiative with support from the ILO.

AAM Foyez Hossain, joint coordinator of Sramik Karmochari Oikya Parishad (Skop), said the pilot was initially designed for the garment sector but should now be expanded to all workers.

In his closing remarks, Anwar Hossain called for greater media support to raise public awareness about the EIS.

The EIS pilot was launched in June 2022 following the Rana Plaza and Tazreen disasters to provide long-term financial support to garment workers who die or become permanently disabled in workplace accidents, as well as their dependants.

The pilot is being implemented by BILS and ILO Bangladesh, with technical assistance from GIZ and financial support from the Netherlands, Canada and the European Union.

The financial benefits under the initiative were designed in line with the ILO Employment Injury Benefits Convention No. 121 (1964).