The right course for trade unions

FE Team | Published: September 27, 2008 00:00:00 | Updated: February 01, 2018 00:00:00

IN the context of Bangladesh, one can say that the country is not too poorly served by labour laws and their regulations on the employers. Trade union practices providing collective bargaining of workers with their employers are generally allowed in the industries and services here. Labour courts in Bangladesh promote and protect workers' rights and enforce laws such as compensation to be paid to workers by employers for the breach of labour laws on their part. Bangladesh has been a full fledged signatory to the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and remains committed on the whole to ILO policies. However, trade union practices in Bangladesh seem to be in existence in the country's older industries and services. The new ones -- particularly the export-oriented garments industries - remain largely unserved by trade unions. But there are also powerful arguments in favour of such exemptions.
The garments industries could never employ so many workers if they were burdened by workers' demands. The example of the garments industries demonstrate that it should be a prudent course for eligible workers in Bangladesh to first find employment rather than restrict the job opportunities by introducing trade union activities in them early in the day.
It should be advantageous for workers to put less emphasis first on orthodox trade union practices and accept less regulations on the employers so that they feel encouraged to expand business. This would maximise employment creation to benefit unemployed workers. More employment and some income should be a better choice for the country's workforce with its vast number of the unemployed than no employment and no income from too much of trade unionism. There is a need for responsible trade unionism in the country if there exists a genuine interest among workers' leaders to best advance the longer term interests of their followers. Of course, it is not to say that there should be no pressure to ensure welfare needs of workers or improve the working conditions and facilities when the enterprises graduate into stronger entities and can accommodate the workers' reasonable demands.
Md Amanullah
Tejgaon, Dhaka