Since the piloting of an Employment Injury Scheme (EIS) for workers in June 2022, the Government of Bangladesh constituted a tripartite sub-committee to regularly meet and review cases of work-related deaths and disabilities in the ready-made garment (RMG) sector.

The tripartite sub-committee is constituted of representatives from the Ministry of Labour and Employment, including representation from the Central Fund and the Department of Labour; the employers’ associations (BGMEA and BKMEA), workers’ associations including United Federation of Garments Workers (UFGW), IndustriALL Bangladesh Council (IBC), and the National Coordination Committee for Workers’ Education (NCCWE). Additionally, officials from ILO and GIZ as well as members from the EIS Special Unit in the Ministry of Labour also participate in the EIS Sub-Committee regularly.

This year (2023), the subcommittee has already met twice, in June and August, to review cases of workplace injuries and deaths to determine their eligibility for compensation.

During these meetings, a few cases were presented by the EIS Special Unit, which has been established to assist the Central Fund in processing claims under the EIS-Pilot. The sub-committee reviewed the cases based on the presented information and requisite eligibility criteria. After evaluation, the sub-committee has approved a handful of the death and permanent disability cases to receive compensation. The sub-committee will continue to regularly review new cases.

ILO and GIZ are jointly providing technical support to the Government of Bangladesh, Employers’ and Workers’ organizations in implementing the pilot employment injury scheme through a project funded by the Governments of the Netherlands and Germany.