Key labour-sector stakeholders have identified significant opportunities as well as critical gaps in the recently approved amendments to the Bangladesh Labour Act 2006, calling for coordinated review, evidence-based reforms and long-term implementation planning.
These observations emerged at a high-level stakeholders’ meeting organised by the Solidarity Center in Dhaka to review the proposed amendments. Representatives from trade unions, CSOs, labour lawyers, employer associations, the Labour Reform Commission (LRC), government agencies and the Ministry of Labour and Employment took part in the discussion.
Solidarity Center Country Program Director A.K.M. Nasim, in his keynote remarks, welcomed participants and emphasised both the opportunities and challenges within the proposed amendments.
"Employer’s federation proposed a slab approach to the number of workers required to form a union, and it would have been a progressive approach. The current proposal on the number of workers required has a lot of technical discrepancies, and as such, it will allow for a lot of problems while being implemented," he noted.
Highlighting the importance of anticipating future loopholes, he added: “Theoretically, the amendment is great. But after a while, the loopholes will start coming up, and I request all of you to keep these potential issues in mind.”
Nasim further expressed concern that the Labour Reform Commission’s recommendations were not adequately reflected: “LRC had specific recommendations which should have been integrated. While we received assurance that the recommendations will be incorporated in the amendment, for some reason, most of the recommendations were not.”
Speaking on behalf of the Labour Reform Commission, Taslima Akter, Member of the LRC, underscored the importance of meaningful engagement with worker voices: “In a lot of cases, the feedback given from workers have not been heard, and we saw this trend in the TCC as well. One important progress is the minimum wage revision every three years instead of five. Unfortunately, how to make foreign buyers accountable is not included.”
Representing employers, Mohammed Hatem, President of BKMEA, supported several pro-worker amendments but emphasized the need for balance: “In a lot of cases, the amendments are for the benefit of the workers, and we agreed to those. But we also need to look after the health of the industry, and incorporate amendments in a way which protects both workers and industry's interests.”
He welcomed the three-year revision cycle but added: “For minimum wage, the three years is a welcome change, but we recommended minimum wage revision every year because we are always worried that the salaries will suddenly increase by 80% if wages are revised every few years. Instead, if the wages are revised every year to adjust with inflation and increased living costs, that will also be beneficial to employers.”
Representing the Government of Bangladesh, Shamsul Alam, Deputy Secretary, MoLE, emphasized the importance of tripartite collaboration: “As a representative of the government, I want to say this amendment was only possible due to everyone present here today’s contribution. We want both workers and employers to work in implementing the amendment together in a tripartite capacity.”
He further committed to elevating the discussion: “I will share the paper with the ministry to discuss the suggestions that Solidarity Center provided on the amendment.”
Addressing the broader structural issues, Syed Sultan Uddin Ahmmed, Chairman, Labour Reform Commission, noted the complexities inherent in amending a codified labour law: “Our labor act is codified and only Bangladesh and the Philippines have this kind of codified law. And whenever codified laws are amended, there will be inconsistencies; thus I recommend analyzing the BLA in its entirety to identify discrepancies and recommend improvements.”
He also urged a wider lens beyond the RMG sector: “RMG is just one industry, it is not Bangladesh itself. We need to consider the entirety of the workforce of Bangladesh, not just RMG.”
Participants collectively emphasized the need for thorough review, evidence-based revisions, and long-term planning to ensure the amendment serves the interests of the country’s diverse workforce while supporting sustainable industrial growth. Solidarity Center reaffirmed its commitment to supporting tripartite dialogue and advancing labour rights in Bangladesh.
AU/BP
