Bangladesh Trade Union Sangha (BTUS) Jhenidah district unit had demanded allocation of food and ration goods for the day labourers and workers in the district immediately from the government when they have been facing severe food and financial hardship due to novel corona virus.
Abdus Salam Shah and Manabendra Das, president and general secretary of the organization in a press releases had demanded the same for about five lakh people working in hotel, restaurants, rickshaw and rickshaw van peddlers, easy-bike and three wheeler drivers, saw mills, shops, rice husking chatals, printing press, construction work, tailoring shops, municipality workers and some other relevant non-formal sectors.
The trade union leaders said all the labourer classes people have been sitting idle in their homes for since March 26 and passing hard days for want of food and money. The money which they had saved, was ended long ago as most of them are poor and needy. Although some of them had received 5 to 10 kilograms of rice or other relief materials, most of them are deprived form the same.
Quoting a government circular mentioned in a national daily newspaper of May 7, the leaders said about 10 lakh poor families will come under the relief distribution programme with 20 kilograms of rice every month with the assistance of Asian Development Bank (ADB). But there was no good news for remaining poor people.
They questioned the fate of the people working in tea and rubber labourers, essentials goods and medicine supplies, transport workers, load and unload labourers, garments sector and some others who have been serving with life risk ignoring the deadly corona virus and lockdown throughout the country. Some of them already had died with the global havoc.
Although the Prime Minister had already announcement incenti0ves for the victims which could not come to light due to lust of the owners in those sectors, they said.
BTUS leaders said the crisis management committee meant for listing the labourers and workers in non-formal sectors is almost inactive due to lack of coordination. As a result the union leaders have been moving here and there with the lists of the poor and distressed people for last couple of weeks.
The leaders have demanded allocate ration and adequate money for the non-formal sector labourers and workers as well as allocate money from their welfare funds, ensure health safety, special fund allocation, free treatment facilities, bring the prices of essential commodities under control, waive house rent, electricity and water uses and money allocation for their survival at no delay.