Mohammad Abdus Salam
2022 IVLP Impact Award Project: Training of Occupational Health Safety and Employment Injury Insurance SchemesBangladesh
Mohammad Abdus Salam is a trade union activist from Bangladesh. Salam established the Workers Resource Centre, the largest trade union platform in Bangladesh, and continues to dedicate himself to the betterment of the country's distressed workers. Through his organization, he works to protect the rights of construction, fishing, book bindings, domestic and migrant workers.
Salam's career as a union activist spans from 2001, when he formed a union at the factory where he worked. In 2003, the factory owner instated changes within the factory that caused many workers to lose their jobs. Subsequently, a labor movement took place and Salam was arrested, but he was released due to the strong worker’s movement. He then started working at another factory where he formed another union, and then was terminated from the job. Salam joined another factory in the Savar Area where there was a strong union movement run by the workers of the Hamim Group. He was arrested in 2009 for involvement in the movement and was sent to prison for 16 months. After he posted bail, Salam was black-listed by the Garment Owners Association, and could no longer work in the garment industry in Bangladesh.
IVLP Impact Award Project: Training of Occupational Health Safety and Employment Injury Insurance Schemes
This project, held in the Gazipur District of Bangladesh, created awareness among trade union leaders and activists on Occupational Health Safety and Employment Injury Insurance measures.
The project included five two-day trainings for 120 plant-level trade union leaders and activists on the Employment and Investment Incentive Scheme. At the end of the training, participants were able to identify the risks and hazards in the workplace, explain the roles and responsibilities of the safety committee, explain the mechanisms in place to file complaints in the workplace, explain the legal framework regarding compensation and advocate for occupational health safety and employment injury insurance scheme workplace measures As a result of the trainings, three ad-hoc committees have been formed with workers to organize unions in different factories.
IVLP Exchange Experience
Mohammad participated in the IVLP Project Implementing Labor Law in Bangladesh, organized by the U.S. Department of State and Meridian International Center, in partnership with Global Ties Iowa and WorldChicago.
Mohammad's exchange experience led to the development of his IVLP Impact Award Project: "The IVLP informed me about the history and labor situation and helped me to better understand legal processes in the United States."
U.S. Communities Visited Virtually
Washington, DC; Iowa City, IA; Chicago, IL