The Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA) on Sunday urged the government to review several provisions of the recently amended labour law, including the definition of workers and employees, collective bargaining agents (CBA), and the formation of provident funds.
"The revised definition of workers and employees in the Bangladesh Labour Ordinance 2025 has created confusion and does not align with the recommendations of the tripartite consultative committee (TCC)," said BKMEA President Mohammed Hatem.
He said the new ordinance, which is set to be placed in Parliament, defines employees as workers. Previously, those engaged in administrative, supervisory or managerial roles were not classified as workers.
Mr Hatem noted that at the TCC meeting, representatives of owners, workers and the government had agreed that employees under labour law provision 2(49) would not be treated as workers. However, the amendment has created ambiguity and may lead to pressure from international buyers to extend equal benefits to employees as workers.
He made the remarks at a press conference held at the BKMEA office in the capital on Sunday.
The BKMEA president said employees' benefits are determined by their appointment letters, and including them within the definition of workers would blur the distinction between management and labour, complicating decision-making and factory operations.
Such a move could weaken management structures, disrupt responsibilities and ultimately affect productivity, he added, urging the government to revise the provision in line with the TCC recommendations.
Referring to service benefits, Mr Hatem said the current provision allows workers employed for three years to receive wages for seven days after retirement, and 15 days for those employed for more than three years but less than 10 years.
He said the TCC had proposed a revised structure with two slabs -- three to five years and more than five years up to 10 years -- and called for its adoption.
On the issue of collective bargaining agents, he said the agreed proposal was to select CBAs through elections based on the majority consent of workers.
Mr Hatem also called for revisions to provisions relating to workers' provident funds and the universal pension scheme, arguing that maintaining both would be impractical.
He urged the government to introduce a single unified facility.
The BKMEA further demanded the withdrawal of a requirement to include two representatives with experience in gender and physical harassment issues in anti-harassment committees.
munni_fe@yahoo.com
