Social protection is a recognized fundamental human right and could include sick pay, unemployment benefit and injury insurance. The pandemic brought home the precariousness of the garment industry’s production model, as millions of workers in countries with no safety net were left without pay as the industry came to an abrupt halt.

‘This is a historic day for Bangladesh’, declared Mohammed Eshan Elahi, Secretary of the Ministry of Labour and Employment, as he launched the country’s first employment injury insurance (EIS) scheme in Dhaka on 21st June 2022. This pioneering scheme, named EIS Pilot, will ensure that, for a trial period of three years, all workers in the export-oriented ready-made garment sector are for the first time ever eligible for work-place injury and disability compensation payments in accordance with international standards adopted by the ILO Employment Injury Benefits Convention, 1964 (No. 121). The ready-made garment sector is Bangladesh’s largest manufacturing industry and provides jobs to around four million people. 

Hard to believe, but true: Bangladesh is the only country in the top 20 garments exporters that does not have any form of social insurance scheme, including for employment injury. On 21st July the Government of Bangladesh finally launched the first employment injury insurance (EIS) pilot along with ILO, GIZ, employers’ representatives, workers representatives, German and Dutch Embassy and international brands (like Tchibo). I spoke to my colleague from our human rights team in Dhaka, Fatima Chowdhury, about the background. 

Bangladesh, in association with the International Labour Organisation (ILO), Germany and the Netherlands, yesterday rolled out the pilot project of the country's first employment injury scheme for workers.