The International Labour Organization (ILO) has stressed the need for implementation of the labour-reform roadmap and the national action plan to effectively resolve the article 26 complaint lodged against Bangladesh for its non-observance of three core conventions and also address the post-graduation challenges.
Bangladesh will reach a major milestone in its development journey as it will graduate from the least developed country (LDC) status in 2026, ILO Bangladesh country director Tuomo Poutiainen said while addressing the opening session of a national dialogue held on Sunday.
While this is a testament of Bangladesh progress, it also presents new challenges, the potential loss of trade, privileges and stricter compliance requirements in the global market competitiveness, he said.
"The implementation of the labour reform roadmaps and the national action plan is crucial to address these challenges and effectively also resolve the article 26 complaint that is active in the ILO system," he said.
The dialogue on 'Promoting decent work agenda to advance social justice' jointly organised by the ministry of foreign affairs, ministry of labour and employment (MoLE) and ILO at the Foreign Service Academy in the city.
Mr Poutiainen also pressed for establishing priorities centering on BLA (Bangladesh Labour Act) amendments in line with international labour standards and continuously building the quality institutions of labour inspection, dispute resolutions and labour courts.
"All these to ensure sustainable and equitable progress, participation and meaningful engagement by social partners in these processes," he noted.
Several workers' organisations from Italy, Japan, South Africa, Pakistan and Brazil made a complaint under Article 26 to the International Labour Conference in 2019 on the non-observance of Conventions 81 on labour inspection, 87 on freedom of association and right to organise, convention and 98 on right to organise and collective bargaining by the government of Bangladesh.
The complainants also proposed to form a commission of enquiry against Bangladesh for non-observance.
Following the complaint and request from the ILO, the government developed and submitted a time-bound roadmap of actions in May 2021 with concrete outcomes to address the issues outlined in the complaint.
It set four priority areas that included labour law reforms, trade union registration, labour inspection and enforcement, and addressing acts of anti-union discrimination/unfair labour practices and violence against workers.
It also reported the latest progress made in line with the implementation of the roadmap to address all outstanding issues mentioned in the article 26 complaint at the 350th session of the ILO governing body from March 04 to March 14 this year held in Geneva.
Speaking as the chief guest, State Minister for Labour Md Nazrul Islam Chowdhury emphasised the government's commitment to labour reform.
"As we get ready to move up from Least Developed Country status to a developing nation, the changes we make in the labour sector will really be important," he said.
Speaking there, Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen underscored the importance of the multi-stakeholder dialogues on certain labour-related issues, stating, employment generation and decent work are in the highest priorities during the present five-year term of the current government.
"These principles are deeply integrated in our national development strategies, including the roadmap (2021-2026) and National Action Plan on the Labour Sector of Bangladesh (2021-2026). These are essential for fostering sustainable growth, including increased trade and investments."
He also stressed moving away progressively from the large informality that still characterises the country's economy, and redoubled their efforts towards enhancing the productivity and competitiveness of workers to take full advantage of demographic dividend.
Labour secretary Mahbub Hossain said, "Our joint efforts have generated concrete, actionable policies aimed at improving the livelihoods of our workforce as well as safeguarding their fundamental rights and safety in the workplace."
There were three separate sessions where speakers discussed global accelerators for jobs, evidence-based national wage policy and advancing occupational safety and health in Bangladesh as a fundamental principle and right at work.
Speaking at a session, Bangladesh Employers Federation president Ardashir Kabir said though hundreds of economic zones are coming up and creating millions of employment, there are some constraints.
For the implementation of economic zones, rule of law has to be established to ensure a level playing field, he said adding they must settle contracts with foreign investors within three to six months.
The National Skill Development Authority should be the central authority for up-skilling but the NSDA actually has been stagnant for a long time, he noted putting emphasis on reskilling and up-skilling of the youths who have been completing graduation in political science, history and sociology every year.
Mesbah Uddin Ahmed, chairperson of National Coordination Committee for Workers Education stressed turning informal workers into formal ones to improve their living conditions and working conditions.
"If the workers can organise themselves properly under a trade union they will be able to fight for fair and living wages," he said.
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