Staff Reporter:
When workers of all other recognised sectors are planning to enjoy a holiday on the International Workers’ Day or May Day, transport workers remain an exception as they plan to make more trips throughout the day to maintain their livelihood.
Like every year, many transport workers this year too have no alternative other than toiling from dawn to midnight to make their ends meet as they don’t enjoy any of the recognised rights – like fixed salary and working hours, weekly holiday and formal recognition – which were achieved following the events of the May Day.
Worker leaders and experts said that due to the negation of the recognised rights of transport workers, not only lives and livelihood of workers are affected but also the road safety.
According to the Minimum Wages Board in Bangladesh, road transport is one of the 47 recognised sectors and the government set the minimum wages for workers of the sector, but huge numbers of these workers are not getting the benefit of it
One example of the negligence these workers endure is that there is no accurate official data on the number of transport workers, like, drivers, their assistants and workers of trucks, buses, CNG, microbuses and other modes of passengers and goods-carrying transports. Aside from the roads, there are workers in other modes of transport like waterway and rail way. According to the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority, there are over 40.59 lakh professional driving licence holders and 63.44 lakh registered vehicles across the country as of March this year.
Drivers of bus services in Dhaka and their assistants said that they have to roam the streets for work on this May Day too as they are paid as per their trips and daily contracts.
Md Hannan, a driver of Savar Paribahan, said like other years, he has to drive on the Workers’ Day too as there is no holiday or weekend for them. They have to live on their daily earnings.
He said, “If I can drive, I can earn for my family. We have no holiday, leisure, fixed salary, or working hours. We are on duty from 4am to 11pm, until we can collect money for the bus owners, fuel costs, and other expenses.
“We work for at least 16-17 hours a day. We take our meals and do other necessary work within this time period. Due to working for extra hours, it is not possible to continue the job for more than 15 days in a month.”
Jahangir Mridha, a CNG driver who lives at Jatrabari area in the capital, said that he would have to go outside for work as he has to share his daily earnings with the owner of the vehicle.
He said, “Regardless of the status of the Day, I have to go out for work to earn for my family. Owner of the CNG or the government will not pay me if I stay at home and enjoy a holiday. Even when I am sick, I have to borrow money or starve. I have no medical leave or allowance which people in garment or other sectors get.”
Transport workers not aware of their rights
Drivers’ Welfare Foundation Chairman Badal Ahmed, who works for professional safety of transport workers, said that workers of the sectors were not informed enough of their rights.
He said, “Owners should consider the physical soundness of drivers for increasing productivity of their vehicles. If a driver is engaged in service when he is sick or his family members are in trouble, the risk of accident increases several fold. If the rights of workers are ensured, the drivers may be physically sound.
“According to the Road Transport Workers Ordinance-1961 and rules-1962, there is a provision of issuing appointment letters with fixed salary for workers. When a vehicle is given a route permit, the owner has to submit the letters but actually none of the workers get it. Workers also are not interested in obtaining the appointment letters as they can earn much higher than the fixed wages by the Minimum Wages Board. Workers only consider direct income and no other benefits.”
Talking to the Daily Sun, acting president of Bangladesh Road Transport Workers Association Abdur Rahim Box Dudu said that they were going to arrange a rally for workers to press home their demand of ensuring rights of workers.
Regarding May Day, he said, “It is a holiday for the workers, but the only exception is the transport workers. Transport owners don’t want to recognise the rights given to us by the law. The people in the government also think that the transport workers don’t need to have baths, meals and rest.”
Talking to the Daily Sun, transport expert and professor at Accident Research Institute of Bangladesh University of Science and Technology, Md Shamsul Hoque said that the workers’ right should be upheld for the safety of life and properties of them as well as of the common people, which is affected frequently by the accidents resulting from physical stresses suffered by the workers.
Dr Shamsul said, “The transport workers have no job security, fixed working hours, weekends and holidays. They are also economically marginalised. They are unsound physically and mentally which are affecting their professionalism. We spent billions on construction of roads to prevent road accidents but if the driver is not in sound mind nothing can prevent mishaps.”
He also said, “The sector is in total lawlessness. The owners must comply with national and international laws. The system of leasing buses to drivers has to be banned. This system makes bus drivers desperate to earn more money and compete with buses on roads with others. Due to the system, the country is being deprived of good services from drivers.”
