Labour law rendered useless for want of rules

How universally accepted positive developments are stymied in this country is best explained by the inexplicable delay in formulating rules necessary for implementation of an amended labour law. A year has passed since the latest amendment to the Bangladesh Labour Act had been brought in July 2013 but still the task could not be accomplished. It gives the impression that rules for implementations are harder to formulate than to amend the law. Though it is accepted that there are several stake-holders, but that should not be an excuse for drafting the rules in the first place and sending it for their opinions. It would be pertinent to ask if this has been done as yet. Mere bureaucratic lethargy alone is not to blame; there seems to be a deliberate attempt to stall the process. Involved in the process here is no less an issue than restoring the country's image as a labour-friendly one both at home and abroad. Even the economic interests involved are highly significant. Considered from the viewpoint that the fate of revival and retention of the Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) in the United States and the European Union (EU) respectively depends largely on it, its significance can be fully realised.

That is for sure that playing the proverbial ostrich will not do. If the garments industry in this country has to survive, let alone flourish, it will have to swallow the 'bitter pill' in the form of a labour law providing workers' safety and welfare. The Labour Act Bill 2013 has recognised only the minimum for fulfilment of the conditions set by international buyers for continuing business as usual. Now that it has become an Act, it is only incumbent on all the parties involved to implement it in letter and spirit. Dilly-dallying will serve no one's purpose in the ultimate analysis. Workers' wages and benefits have been increased, although those are still lower, in nominal terms, than their counterparts in the neighbouring countries. How far such wages and benefits are linked to productivity, viewed from regional perspectives, is a different issue here. Meanwhile, a programme has been undertaken to improve workplace safety and bring contractually employed workers on the regular payroll. The most contentious issue concerns the formation of trade unions. Now that it has been agreed upon in principle, there is no point leaving this issue unsettled for long.

It is difficult not to see the logic behind the allegation made by a vice-chairman of the Bangladesh Institute of Labour Studies (BILS) to the effect that lack of 'the government's sincerity' is to blame for the failure to formulate the required rules within a year. When streamlining the garments sector should be a top agenda, mindsets like this only proves retrogressive for industrial progress. Experts are of the opinion that this country has the potential to replace China as the largest exporter of garments, particularly in the lower-end segment of the global market. But such negative attitudes will not help the cause. The sooner the rules are formulated and approved for implementation of the labour act the better for the country. Initially the sector has to stomach pains in order to get reward later.