Row over compensation

It is learnt that each family of the dead workers will receive a flat compensation payment of Tk one lakh, which to begin with, was only Tk 25,000 back in 1990. But the question is -- is it enough? We certainly do not think so. Tk one lakh is not the kind of value we ought to put on the life of an industrial worker.

In fact, the 'Fatal Accident Act' of 1855 as amended in 1955 says that the compensation to be given to the victims' families should be proportional to the economic loss suffered by the families at the death of their kin. It also gives them right to move to the court to ensure compensation.

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Elsewhere in the world a worker's family receives the total amount of salaries as compensation that he or she would have earned during his or her entire working life. The law even provides for financially penalising those found responsible for causing the fatal accident.

Sadly, none of these practices are followed in our country. The victims' families simply have to rest content with whatever amount they get from the employers while the employers have washed their hands of the matter by parting with a small sum. All this has to stop. There must be a realistic compensation package; the victims' families cannot be taken for a ride any longer. We agree with the activists and support their demand for an appropriate increase in the rate of compensation.