Employers worry that strong-arm fresh labour-law rules are being "imposed" overriding earlier tripartite agreements, sidelining both employers and workers who are the principal stakeholders in the labour market, which could create industrial unrest.
Bangladesh Employers' Federation (BEF), along with several major sectoral associations, vented such concerns in a joint statement issued Thursday.
"One such proposal -- to allow only 20 individuals to establish an enterprise-level union irrespective of enterprise size -- poses serious risks," says the joint statement.
The employers forewarn that such a blanket provision disregards industrial realities, exposes enterprises "to manipulation by external interest groups who are in no way related to industrial entities, threatens workplace stability, and undermines investor confidence".
Far from strengthening genuine trade unionism, this approach risks fostering fragmentation and disorder, ultimately harming both workers and employers.
The Tripartite Consultative Committee (TCC) on August 26 approved key changes to the country's labour laws, allowing a minimum of 20 workers to form a trade union and five unions in a single factory from existing three.
The committee also decided, among others, that collective bargaining would require a majority of workers in a factory.
In the statement the BEF has said workers themselves have expressed apprehensions about these measures, noting that they do not address their real needs for security, welfare, social justice and sustainable livelihoods.
Employers caution that unrealistic amendments may temporarily satisfy certain external quarters but would do so at the expense of the long-term sustainability of enterprises, the stability of the labour market, and the livelihoods of millions of workers.
The BEF notes that Bangladesh's challenges are not about passing laws on paper but about ensuring that institutions and the workforce have the capacity to make those laws meaningful.
It points out that the real gaps lay in under-resourced institutions, weak labour inspection, and ineffective monitoring and dispute-resolution mechanisms.
The federation has stressed that unless there is parallel investment in strengthening regulatory bodies, enhancing inspection systems, and building trust among social partners, further amendments would achieve little.
"What the labour market urgently needed is capacity building -- through training, upskilling, and reskilling of workers and management to meet new industrial realities -- alongside equipping officials with the tools and knowledge to enforce compliance," says the BEF.
Without addressing these fundamentals, it cautions, repeated legal tightening would not improve outcomes but would instead add uncertainty, discourage investment, and risk chaos on the labour market.
The employers have called on the International Labour Organisation and development partners to uphold the principle of tripartism and to ensure that any further observations are discussed transparently among government, workers, and employers.
They also note that the government bears the primary responsibility to steer the process in a pragmatic, balanced, and consultative manner -- one that protected national interests, sustained Bangladesh's competitiveness, and advanced labour rights in ways that are both credible and workable.
The joint statement is endorsed by leading industry associations, including Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA), Bangladesh Textile Mills Association (BTMA), Bangladesh Tea Association (BTA), Leather Goods and Footwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association of Bangladesh (LFMEAB), Bangladesh Jute Spinners Association (BJSA), Bangladesh Jute Mills Association (BJMA), Bangladesh Association of Pharmaceutical Industries (BAPI), Bangladesh Association of Contact Centre and Outsourcing (BACCO), and Bangladesh Agro-Processors Association (BAPA), according to the statement.
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