Labour lobby groups push for fresh amendments to current legislation

The country's labour lobby groups — labour leaders and organisations promoting labour rights — are currently working on a unified proposal for a fresh amendment to the existing Labour Act, aiming to extend its protection to a larger number of workers.

During a programme at a city hotel today, labour leaders and experts underscored the need to amend the definition of "labour" to bring a larger number of workers, currently excluded, under the protection of the Labour Act.

The speakers emphasised the importance of amending the legislation to address emerging issues, such as expanding the social safety net and including domestic workers under the act's coverage—especially in light of the next 10 years.

These points were raised during a workshop, "The Amendment of the Bangladesh Labour Act, 2006: Protection of Workers' Rights," jointly organised by the Bangladesh Institute of Labour Studies (BILS) and Solidarity Centre — a US-based labour rights organisation.

On the sidelines of the event, BILS Executive Director Syed Sultan Uddin Ahmed told TBS, "We are discussing among ourselves [labour lobby groups] regarding the amendment and are planning to present a unified proposal on behalf of the labour unions, rather than submitting separate ones. This way, it will be more effective."

"We hope to finalise the proposal within a month, as the government needs to present it at the next meeting of the International Labour Organisation (ILO)," he added.

Since its enactment in 2006, the Labor Act has been amended twice, in 2012 and 2018. 

However, in response to increasing pressure for additional revisions in recent years, the previous government introduced another amendment to the act in 2023, prior to the 2024 national election.

Although parliament approved the amendment, it requires the President's signature to become law and take effect. 

However, the president returned it unsigned due to identified loopholes, which is quite uncommon. 

Since then, the revision process has been ongoing. Amid these discussions, the labour lobby group is proposing a new amendment for better inclusion.

During the workshop, Babul Akhter, general secretary of the Bangladesh Garments and Industrial Workers Federation, said, "The fresh amendment must address climate issues, occupational safety and health (OSH), and new diseases arising from workers operating with new technology and machinery."

BILS Executive Director Syed Sultan Uddin Ahmed moderated the programme, while Mohammad Nazrul Islam, programme officer of the Solidarity Centre, delivered the keynote presentation.

Advocate AKM Nasim, country programme director of Solidarity Centre and other labour leaders also spoke at the workshop.