The International Labour Organisation (ILO) has requested Bangladesh to bring necessary amendments to the country's several acts and ordinances to make them conform to its convention on abolition of forced labour, sources have said. Â
Bangladesh ratified the ILO Convention on Abolition of Forced Labour, 1957 in 1972. But, the organisation found that provisions of Bangladesh's many acts and ordinances went against the convention.
Bangladesh will have to submit a progress report to ILO in September, mentioning the progresses so far it has made relating to amendment of the acts and ordinances.
"We have sought opinions from the ministries concerned regarding the observations, made by an ILO committee aiming to eradicate forced labour in Bangladesh," a senior official at the Ministry of Labour and Employment told the FE.
Of the acts, the sections 16-20 of the Special Power Act of 1974 allow imposition of penalties like imprisonment on people who publish prejudicial reports or contravene any order for prior scrutiny and approval of certain publications.
The ILO committee noted that penalties like imprisonments might involve an obligation to perform prison labour under Section 53 of the Penal Code and Section 3 (26) of the General Clauses Act.
The committee, referring to paragraphs 152-166 of its general survey of 2007 on eradication of forced labour, observed that any penal sanction involving an obligation to perform prison labour in contrary to the ILO Convention when imposed on people convicted for expressing political views or views opposed to the established political system.
ILO urged the government to amend sections 16-20 of the Special Power Act to ensure conformity to the Convention.
Besides, under several sections of the Control of Employment Ordinance of 1965 the government can declare job of any person 'essential work' prohibiting his/her leaving the work. The sections of the Ordinance are found to be against the ILO Convention on Abolition of Forced Labour.
The Section 50 of the Post Office Act of 1898 allows imposition of penalty on post office employees who withdraw themselves from the duties of their office without one month's prior notice in writing.
The ILO has observed that such provisions permit imposition of compulsory labour as a means of labour discipline, which lies outside the scope of the convention.
The committee opined that necessary measures would soon be taken to repeal or amend these provisions in order to make them conform to the Convention and the indicated practice.
It also noted that sections 292 and 293 of the Bangladesh Labour Act, 2006, which repealed and replaced the Industrial Relations Ordinance, 1969, contain provisions similar to those in sections 54 ad 55 of the repealed ordinance.
The ILO asked to amend sections 292 and 293 of the Bangladesh Labour Act, 2006 to bring those in conformity with the Convention.
It also found that sections 198 and 199 of the Merchant Shipping Ordinance of 1983 also create a scope for compulsory labour, and urged the government to bring necessary amendment.
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