Recognising commuting accidents as industrial ones commendable

Recognising mishaps workers meet with on way to and from their workplaces as occupational accidents has long been an unmet demand. Finally, the issue has been resolved recently by the government under its employment injury scheme so much so that such a victim will now be entitled to compensation. Notably, at its 8th meeting last Monday, the Governing Board of the 'Employment Injury Scheme (EIS) Pilot' approved the inclusion of the commuting accidents in the scheme'. The inclusion in the occupational or industrial accident category makes such victims eligible for compensation from 1st July this year (2024). In this connection, ILO technical experts extended their support, and commendably so, they shed light on the key technical and financial aspects of the issue and the conditions for accepting commuting accidents as workplace ones. At the same time, they opted for maintaining separate records as the 'commuting accidents' happen outside the workplace.

Evidently, through 'inclusion', the scheme now covers two out of three recommended vulnerabilities under the ILO. The third one is occupational disease, which, thankfully, as reported, is in the process of being covered by the EIS Pilot scheme. As the case may be, occupational hazards including occupational diseases are issues that have failed to get the attention they deserve from employers. The decision to cover commuting accidents by EIS Pilot may also have paved the way for including other occupational hazards in the scheme of things. In that case, inclusion of commuting accidents in the EIS Pilot brings the present measure so undertaken by the government closer to ILO requirements, as outlined in the Employment Injury Benefit Convention No. 121 (C-121).

Reassuringly, the decision got unanimous support from employers' and workers' bodies as well as government agencies who are members of EIS Pilot Governance Board. However, while supporting the 'inclusion', as fundamental rights of workers for social protection and the benefits to be provided to the commuting accident injury victims, the employers' bodies also wanted to be assured that their (employers') competitiveness was not affected. But seeing that the 'inclusion' is going to protect both the industries and workers as the government's labour and employment secretary was quoted to have told the EIS Pilot governance meeting to that effect, the concern raised by employers is hardly substantiated. In fact, what is often lost sight of in an atmosphere of occasional face-offs between employees and employers over workers' pays and benefits, is that both parties are integral part of the industry. Giving the workers their due only helps improve industry's health.  

At this point, it would be worthwhile to recall that the employment injury scheme on a pilot scale began in 2022 and the ILO and GTZ (a German development agency) played the leading part in the launching of the initiative. It was a tripartite arrangement between the government and the owners and workers of the Readymade Garment (RMG) industries. Since June 2022, the EIS Pilot has been giving compensations to injured workers and dependants of workers succumbing to work-related accidents in the RMG sector. According to the EIS website, since the scheme's inception, over Tk1.6 million has been provided to the families of workers who died in commuting accidents. Additionally, more than Tk1.0 million has been paid out to those rendered permanently disabled in such accidents. It is eminently commendable to have made such efforts under the EIS Pilot initiative. It is time the government also widened its efforts further to bring all victims of transport accidents under a still broader compensation scheme.