Md. Mutasim Billah Kandaker, Advocate, District and Sessions Judge Court, Dhaka, LLB (Hons.) & LLM, Bangladesh University of Professionals (BUP)
ABSTRACT
In Bangladesh, the number of women workers in the Ready-Made Garment sector is increasing on a daily basis as it has become a need of time. Thus, access to maternity rights is one of the most important safety-net issues for working women but the reality is that in Bangladesh the majority of women workers do not have access to these rights. The maternity rights of women workers actually mean the rights of protecting both the mother and her child’s life in a healthy way which help for her maintenance such as leaves, wages, bonuses etc. It also includes daycare centers for their children in the factories where they returned for routine works after the ending of leave periods. In Bangladesh, maternity rights are regulated by the Bangladesh Labour Act, 2006, subsequently replaced as Bangladesh Labour Act, 2013 (amended). But though the large number of women employed in the RMG sector, the industry has yet to issue a directive regarding maternity leave which indicates that there is no unified standard and thus many women workers are yet deprived of getting maternity benefits in the RMG sector. In this paper, the laws regarding maternity rights and their practices in the RMG sector in Bangladesh will be scrutinized. The paper aims to offer some suggestions on how the maternity rights can be ensured to protect and promote women workers in the Ready-made Garment sector in Bangladesh.
Keywords: Maternity Rights, Benefits, Leave, Childcare Centre, Working Women, Labour Law, Ready-Made Garments in Bangladesh.
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