M Taju, 37, has been unemployed for the last eight months after the Seven.B Association Shipyard, where he had worked as a supervisor for a decade, went bankrupt and shut down earlier this year.
Taju was among 500 other workers who lost their jobs after the pandemic exacerbated the conditions at the shipyard, located at Kumira under the Sitakundo Upazila in Chittagong.
"My monthly income is below Tk 10,000 ($100) now," said Taju, whose salary was Tk 15, 000 ($140) per month. He is now learning to be a farmer to sustain his livelihood.
The ship breaking sector in Chittagong was not prepared for the twin shocks from the Covid-19 outbreak and the fuel price hike because of the Russia-Ukraine war. The currency crisis fueled by the dollar shortage imposed restrictions on the Bangladesh government to get letters of Credit (LC) to import ships, leading to the closures of small and medium size shipyards.
According to Bangladesh Ship Breakers and Recyclers Association (BSBRA), at least 50, 000 workers have lost their jobs in the last 12 years in the sector for multiple reasons and the green directive is one of them.
To add to the woes, the Bangladesh government announced that it would ratify the Hong Kong International Convention for safe and environmentally sound recycling of ships. A total of 63 countries have so far ratified the Convention. India adopted the Convention in 2009, Bangladesh also walked on the lane.
Shipyards require about $5 million to $10 million to transition into green recycling as machines are expensive. The financial burden has led to the collapse of smaller companies in the shipyard recycling industry with no backup plans by the government to create additional jobs for those made redundant.
Unjust Green Transition: In 2018, the Bangladesh government endorsed the Bangladesh Ship Recycling Act as per the Hong Kong International Convention, which required all ship-breaking yard owners to adopt safe and environment-friendly methods before 2023. This has now been extended to 2025.
According to BSBRA record, there are 167 shipyards in the country and, among them, 20 are its members. Only 50 yards are now active the rest has been shut down.
Mominur Rashid, Deputy Secretary (Ship Recycling) at the Ministry of Industries said 12 shipyards will be green within 2023.
Terming Bangladesh as the world's top ship breaking and recycling centre, Rashid expressed confidence that another 35 yards are on way to becoming green within 2025. "Without any rule and regulation, the sector has expanded but due to the International Convention, those who are unable to abide by the law will be closed soon," he said.
At present the government and the ministry have no such plan to employ workers who have lost their jobs, but they will consider it in the future, he said.
Machines replace men: According to the Bangladesh Ship Breakers and Recyclers Association (BSBRA), around 80% of ship breaking yards, steel and oxygen (used for cutting the ships) factories have been closed during the last ten years for many reasons including political turmoil and fluctuating price in the International market. There are uncertainties about jobs for another thousand people in associated businesses around, such as restaurants and stores that cater to the workers in the ship breaking industry.
PHP Ship Breaking and Recycling Industries-- which was the first to get a green certification from international auditing groups - has spent at least $12 million to date on developing methods to comply with the convention's regulations.
"We use cranes to carry blocks, which are cut from ships moored on the tidal mudflats, directly to an impermeable concrete platform where the rest of the cutting is done to avoid spillage onto the beach," said Zahirul Islam, Managing Director of PHP Group. Earlier, every block would be dropped onto the beach and then dragged by workers, he said, citing an example of how advanced technology has required less work force.
Islam said machines were now doing all the hazardous work which was previously done by 100 people who risked casualties. "Now all the activities are replaced by new technology and machines. We can't afford additional workers after the implementation of new equipment," he added.
According to the Young Power in Social Action (YPSA) group, around 225 people died in the last 15 years while they were working in the yards because of a lack of safety and security tools.
YPSA, a non-government organization for sustainable development, is supporting the families of the victims who were killed or injured while working in the yards. The organization also negotiates with shipyard owners to get compensation for workers who have met with an accident.
Green Yard Challenges: While financial investment is a major challenge for the sector, owners said they are also struggling with training the workers about safety and security in the workplace to reduce casualties.
Zahirul Islam, who is also the vice president of BSBRA, said PHP Ship Breaking yard buys new Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for workers every year.
Earlier workers would do all the hazardous work without any safety equipment, Islam added. Now they avoid wearing PPE because the hot temperature and heavy clothes hinder their easy movement, which has become a challenge for companies, Islam said.
"We are spending $ 1.2 million every year for the safety and security tools which is one of the requirements of the green yard by the Hong Kong International Convention," he said.
Under the labour law, the families of workers who are killed in the yard get compensation of TK 10 lakhs ($10,000) while injured one gets treatment support, said Muhammed Ali Shahin, Programme Coordinator of YPSA.
Most of the time shipyard owners are unwilling to pay monthly compensation and YPSA has been advocating for the victim group, he added.
The organization also provides some skill development training and SME loan service to unemployed workers or victims for alternate livelihood. To date, YPSA has trained more than 200 people.
Planning and Implementation: Experts consider the green movement a positive sign for saving the environment but also have doubts about the desired results because the improper transition of labour will not be fair for the country. Shipyards may go green but they may also end up leaving people unemployed, which would not be a just transition.
"The definition of 'Just Transition' is not only the technological transformation, but it is also about people, especially those who are vulnerable and climate victims, and skilling them with another work", said M Shamsuddoha, Chief Executive of the Center for Participation Research and Development.
'Capacity building is a major factor of transition and livelihood has been surrounded by the change. So, the transformation should be phase by phase, not drastically', he added.
Shamsuddoha suggested that creating job opportunities and training the workforce might reduce the unemployment problem. The government should take a plan to re-employ otherwise the transition remains unjust, he said.
Meanwhile, workers like Taju, who have accepted their fate after losing a job during the green transition, have no clear idea about the climate ramifications. People like him continue to be ignored in one of Bangladesh's largest employment-providing industries.
The story was produced with the help of the Thomson Reuters Foundation. The Content is the sole responsibility of the author and publisher.
