State minister for timely amendment of labour law to avoid ILO criticisms

State minister for labour Begum Monnujan Sufian on Thursday urged concerned parties to complete the labour law amendment process before a key International Labour Organization meeting in June to avoid repeated criticisms at the annual event.

The preparatory work for amending the law should be done quickly, otherwise questions targeting Bangladesh would be raised at the International Labour Conference creating an awkward situation, she said at a meeting with business and labour leaders at Shrom Bhaban in the capital.

The ministry of labour and employment arranged the tripartite consultative council meeting to discuss amendments to the law with industry stakeholders with a particular focus on resolving labour disputes.

Labour secretary Ehsan-E-Elahi was also present at the meeting.

The European Union and International Labour Organization has prepared a roadmap to improve the labour situation in Bangladesh emphasising amendments to the labour law.

The labour secretary has said the ministry seeks to amend the labour law by June, Senior Commerce Secretary Tapan Kanti Ghosh told The Business Standard in an earlier conversation. 

State minister for labour Monnujan indicated that the government has faced questioning at earlier editions of the International Labour Conference for slow progress in amending the labour law and implementing other worker rights-related issues.

Meanwhile, the meeting on Thursday approved standard operating procedures for settling disputes between factory owners and workers.

The government has identified labour dispute resolution as a major issue requiring attention, the state minister said, adding she expects cooperation from everyone including labour leaders and business owners to help implement the steps approved in this regard.