ILO defers action until March next

Monira Munni | Published: November 21, 2020 23:17:32

International Labour Organization (ILO) has deferred until next March its decision about taking further action against Bangladesh's non-observance of three core conventions, sources said.
It also urged the government of Bangladesh to go for a time-bound roadmap of actions with tangible outcomes in full consultation with the workers, employers and social partners to address all the outstanding issues, they added.
At the 108th ILO session in mid-June last year, labour representatives from Italy, Japan, South Africa, Pakistan and Brazil sought an enquiry commission against the government of Bangladesh.
Dhaka was accused of discontinuing convention 87 on freedom of association and right to organise, convention 98 on right to organise and collective bargaining, and convention 81 on labour inspection.
The complainants also proposed to form a commission of enquiry against Bangladesh for non-observance.
Taking the Bangladesh government's information on the situation of freedom of association and its commitments to further improvement, the ILO's governing body (GB) requested developing a time-bound roadmap of actions with tangible outcomes to address all the outstanding issues mentioned in the complaint submitted under article 26 to the 108th Session of the International Labour Conference (2019), according to its draft decision.
It called for a comprehensive action plan with the support of the ILO Office and of the secretariat of the Workers' and Employers' groups, and in full consultation with the social partners concerned.
Bangladesh has been requested to report on the progress made in that regard to the GB at its next session.
"... deferred the decision on further action in respect of the complaint until its 341st session (March 2021)," reads the draft decision.
The draft decisions came after the ILO GB's 340th session held from November 02 to 14. Bangladesh virtually attended the session on November 06, officials said.
Bangladesh provided initial information on the situation of freedom of association in the country in a communication on October 23 last year.
Later on January 30, it provided additional observations to the ILO while the government reiterated and updated its previous observations again in a communication on September 15.
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