App launched for better labour management

The government yesterday launched a mobile application to ensure quality labour management in the industrial sector.

The Labour Inspection Management Application or LIMA will improve the collection, storage and analysis of labour inspection data.

The development of LIMA has been supported by the International Labour Organisation's Improving Working Conditions in the Ready-Made Garment Sector programme funded by Canada, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.

Md Mujibul  Haque, state minister for labour and employment, inaugurated the LIMA at an event held at the Amari Dhaka hotel.

Around 250 android tablets were also handed over to the Department of Inspections for Factories and Establishments or DIFE, to be used during inspections.

"LIMA is a milestone in the march towards digital Bangladesh and testament to the commitment of the government to ensure that every workplace is a safe workplace and that the rights of workers are respected," the state minister said.

LIMA is set to make DIFE's operations more effective by combining its key data gathering and management needs in one platform, International Labour Organisation's Dhaka office said in a statement.

It will also enhance data accessibility and transparency by making certain information available to employers and workers while facilitating day-to-day tasks such as factory licence applications or the submission of complaints, according to the statement.

"The launch of LIMA marks the beginning of a new chapter for the labour inspectorate," said Md Shamsuzzaman Bhuiyan, inspector general of the DIFE.

"It will make our operations

more effective and thereby help to enhance the welfare and safety of working people and also improve productivity of industries. It will also help DIFE to generate a variety of reports.