ILO presses Bangladesh for rules on labour law

The International Labour Organisation (ILO) has emphasised preparing rules for implementation of the Bangladesh Laobur Act in accordance with the international labour standards.

Bangladesh Labour Act 2013 has been in force since 22nd July 2013 through official gazette notification of the government of Bangladesh but due to non-existence of the rules for implementation it is not being implemented, says the concerned authorities.

Reiterating its call on timely issuance of the proposed rules, ILO mentioned that the rules were expected to be finalised by June 30.

“The speed with which the government revised the Bangladesh Labour Act following the Rana Plaza accident sent a strong signal about its commitment to enhance labour rights and working conditions,” Karen Curtis, Chief of Freedom of Association Branch of ILO’s International Labour Standards Department, said in a statement on Thursday.

The statement quoted Ms Karen as saying: “It is vital that the implementation rules fully reflect this and promote core labour standards. This is an ideal opportunity for Bangladesh to get the rules right and to make a statement to the world that it remains serious about improving labour rights.”

ILO issued the statement following the visit of a high-level delegation, headed by Ms Karen, to Bangladesh on May 19-21.

During the visit the ILO delegation had meetings with Minister for Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Khandker Mosharraf Hossain and State Minister for Labour and Employment Md Mujibul Haque to express the organisation’s concerns.

The team also held discussions with representatives of employers’ and workers’ organisations as well as development partners.

Following the detailed discussions the ILO delegation was encouraged by the government’s engagement, as it reiterated commitment to fully take into account ILO’s concerns before issuance of the rules, the statement added.