Labour Act to be amended to allow trade unions with 15% workers’ consent: Law minister

The government has decided to amend the Labour Act with the inclusion of a provision to form trade unions in factories with consent from 15% of workers, Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Anisul Huq said on the eve of International Labour Day.

Until the amended law is passed in parliament, the government will hear out the recommendations of stakeholders or the international organisations that talk about labour rights, the minister told journalists during a press conference at the ministry's conference room today, following a meeting with a delegation of the International Labour Organisation (ILO).

"We will see if there is any difference between the labour rights that are protected in our country in line with the ideals of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and the advice of the stakeholders," added Anisul.

Speaking about labour rights violation, he said if employers violate workers' rights, the penalty could be increased to Tk25,000 according to the law.

The minister noted that initially, the penalty for such violations was Tk5,000, but it has now been raised to Tk20,000, with a possibility of further increase.

"However, neither amount is deemed sufficient as a deterrent for employers inclined to exploit workers," he noted.

Anisul further stated that any decision to increase penalties will involve discussions with all stakeholders, including employers, workers, and other stakeholders.

Speaking about the ILO delegation's recommendations, the law minister said, "One of their suggestions is to lower the threshold [the rate at which workers agree to form a trade union]. We had earlier brought down this threshold from 20% to 15%. But it is supposed to apply only to factories with 3,000 or more workers.

"Now, this 15% threshold will be kept for all factories. That means they can form a trade union only if 15% of the workers agree."