99% of RMG workers unimpressed with universal pension scheme: BILS Survey

Dhaka, 17 Feb -Around 90.6 percent of readymade garment sector workers are reluctant to enroll themselves in the universal pension scheme considering it an unsustainable system.

This information was revealed in a survey conducted by the Bangladesh Institute of Labor Studies (BILS), which released a report based on the survey on Monday (Feb 17).

Deputy Director of BILS Md. Monirul Islam conducted this survey recently on behalf of the organization. The results of the survey were presented at a roundtable discussion organized by BILS at Shram Bhaban in the capital on Monday.

According to the survey, around 90.6 percent of workers consider various financial obligations as the main reason for this reluctance. 6.7 percent of workers believe that it is not a sustainable pension system in the long term. In addition, 2.7 percent of workers have no idea about this scheme.

The survey showed that only 1.3 percent of garment workers have been enrolled in the scheme launched in August 2023 so far. It means around 99 percent of workers do not think the scheme is suitable for them.

With the support of Netherlands-based organization Mondiaal FNV, BILS is implementing a project titled 'Ensuring Decent Work in the Readymade Garment (RMG) Sector through Social Dialogue'.

As part of this, BILS conducted a survey titled ‘Universal Pension Scheme: Exploring Potential Opportunities for Social Protection of Readymade Garment Workers in Bangladesh’ between September and December 2024.