The government has softened its stance regarding the minimum required rate of workers' representation for a trade union (TU) registration in industries to meet the ILO recommendations, said people involved with the process.
The decision was taken on Tuesday, as the Committee of Experts on the Application of Conventions and Recommendations (CEACR) of International Labour Organization (ILO) is going to sit in Geneva today (Wednesday) to review the TU and other related issues of different countries.
The move also came to avoid any untoward trade benefit withdrawal by the European Union (EU), they also said.
The European Commission has been repeatedly pressing the government to address the ILO recommendations within the set timeframe to avoid temporary withdrawal of its Generalised Scheme of Preference (GSP) facility for Bangladesh.
"The highest and the lowest rates, in the draft, are proposed at 30 per cent and 20 per cent respectively depending on the number of workers in a factory for trade union registration," officials involved with the process told the FE on Tuesday.
The Ministry of Labour and Employment (MoLE) on Tuesday proposed to set the required threshold to 20 per cent for the factories having more than 7,500 workers, 24 per cent for the units having workers ranging from 5,001 to 7,500, and 27 per cent for the industrial units with workers from 2,001 to 5,000, they also said.
The rate will remain the existing 30 per cent for the factories having workers below 2,000.
According to the labour law, 30 per cent of an enterprise's minimum memberships are required to get a trade union registered. But, labour leaders and western stakeholders have been demanding to cut the required rate to 10 per cent.
The government has verbally conveyed its previous decision on lowering of the representation requirement threshold to 27 per cent to ILO's committee concerned.
It was done while a Bangladesh delegation attended the 331st session of the ILO governing body on the first week of November in Geneva, they added.
On August 31, the government sent the drafts of the amended labour law and export processing zones (EPZ) law in line with the ILO recommendations, following its commitment made at International Labour Conference (ILC), held in Geneva last June.
On November 04, MoLE sought ILO's opinions regarding the drafts. ILO's Standards Department, in a technical note sent to the government on November 07, again suggested lowering the threshold.
Commerce, law and labour ministers held separate meetings with the Bangladesh Export Processing Zones Authority (BEPZA) on Tuesday and discussed about the draft EPZ Act.
MoLE again sent the drafts of amended labour law and EPZ law with further changes to ILO on Tuesday in line with its commitment.
The fresh changes included definition of workers, relaxation of the provisions related to registration of trade unions in civil aviation and marine entities. The requirement of majority support to form a trade union in civil aviation has been proposed to be withdrawn, while the seafarers are allowed to form more than one union.
UNB adds: Law Minister Annisul Huq said on Tuesday the Labour Act and Bangladesh Export Processing Zones Authority (BEPZA) Act will be amended considering the recommendations made by the European Union and the interest of the country.
After attending a meeting on the Labour Act and BEPZA Act at the Secretariat on Tuesday morning the minister came up with the remarks."We've advanced much with the Labour Act and BEPZA Act, and the Acts will be amended considering the interest of the country along with conditions given by the European Union as they are the larger buyer of our garments," he said.
"We have managed to come to a positive conclusion during today's meeting of stakeholders, and the decision will be informed to the Prime Minister and experts committee of International Labour Conference (ILC)", the minister said.
The Acts will be introduced in the parliament this winter, he added.
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