Rangpur District Truck, Tanker, Covered Van and Tractor Workers Union has submitted a memorandum to the District Commissioner demanding the withdrawal of the Essential Services Bill 2023 for the sake of the democratic labor situation.
On Tuesday (June 13) at 11:30 a.m. on behalf of the transport workers, this memorandum was presented under the leadership of Hafizur Rahman Hafiz, President of Rangpur District Truck and Tanker Workers Union and General Secretary Shahidul Islam Manik, on the substance of the Service Bill 2023 and the response to the introduction of the Bill in Parliament.
In this memorandum they have highlighted various problems. Among them, especially without removing the mismanagement on the road, putting all the responsibility of the accident on the transport workers, and trying to enact laws from the humanity of punishing the workers on various pretexts. On April 6, 2023, BAJS Bill No. 12/2023 was introduced in the National Parliament of Bangladesh, although this bill mentions 18 sectors as essential services but targets the transport sector. As a result, fear, oppression and deprivation will increase among the workers in the transport sector and there will be no opportunity to protest. This essential services bill, if passed into law, would nullify the Labor Act. This is because Section 209 of the Labor Act provides for raising industrial disputes, Section 210 for industrial disputes and Section 211 for strikes. As a result, if this bill becomes a law, the legal right to strike in the labor law will also be taken away. This bill amounts to taking away the fruits of the long-standing struggle of the workers of this continent with the democratic functioning of the trade unions. This bill has been introduced ignoring the tripartite decision-making process. The memorandum mentioned that the image of the workers will be damaged as this law is inconsistent with the policies and recommendations of the transport company.
