Experts and members of a labor reform commission set up by the government have proposed the introduction of a national minimum wage for workers and a uniform labor law applicable to employees both inside and outside export processing zones (EPZs).
At a program in Dhaka yesterday, they also recommended that authorities ensure women workers’ rights are more effectively protected and take steps to formalize informal sectors, which currently employ about 85 percent of Bangladesh’s 8.5 billion workforce.
For all the latest news, follow The Daily Star’s Google News channel. The Center for Political Dialogue (CPD) and Christian Aid jointly organized the program, titled “Reforms in Workers’ Livelihood, Workplace Safety and Rights Issues: An Agenda for the Interim Government,” at the CPD office.
Khondaker Golam Moazzem, Director of Research at CPD, moderated the discussion, while Tamim Ahmed, a Senior Research Associate at CPD, presented the keynote paper.
On November 18 last year, the interim government established the Labor Reform Commission to propose reforms aimed at improving workers’ rights and workers’ welfare. The commission was created to address various structural, institutional and operational weaknesses affecting the lives and livelihood of workers.
After working for more than a month, Syed Sultan Uddin Ahmed, head of the commission, said he has faced three types of pressure: high expectations from a large number of poor workers, a limited 90-day time frame to draft recommendations and weak data and research related to workers’ rights, which were mainly compiled under pressure from international donor groups.
Speaking at the programme, Ahmed said local businesses, especially small business owners, are also putting pressure on him as they struggle to manage their businesses.
He observed that “modern slavery is taking place” in various local sectors, which he said was unexpected. “Furthermore, in the informal sector, the country has bound and coerced workers who have no protection for their rights under the law and who lack social protection,” Ahmed said. “Many sectors do not have maternity leave, job protection or workers’ rights.”
For example, Ahmed elaborated on the construction sector and noted that employers and contractors remain almost invisible until a worker dies on the job. He also addressed the lack of voting rights for migrant workers, who contribute significantly to the national treasury.
The head of the Labor Reform Commission emphasized the need for an accurate worker database. He stated that minimum protection and standard wages are necessary for a balanced society and economy, adding that the country can hardly enjoy the transition to a developing country with wage discrimination.
He confirmed that these issues would be included in the recommendations to be made to the interim government’s chief adviser.
Kamran T Rahman, president of the Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI), said that child labor had been eliminated from the garment sector long ago, but there are still child laborers in some informal sectors. According to Rahman, currently 1 crore people are employed in formal sectors and 5.5 crore in informal sectors.
An average Bangladeshi migrant worker earns 2.5 percent less than the average Indian worker and 4.0 percent less than Sri Lankan workers, because local workers are sent abroad without skills development and training, he said.
Rahman stressed that no one wants factory closures, so workers’ responsibilities must be considered alongside their rights.
Moazzem noted that not all business owners are currently ready to implement the national minimum wage, which is why it should be introduced in stages. Currently, 42 sectors have a minimum wage structure, and the government plans to include four more shortly. More than 140 sectors may also be considered for inclusion in the minimum wage structure, he said.
He added that the responsibilities of the Reform Commission should not be limited to presenting the report but should also include follow-up measures for its implementation.
Tamim Ahmed proposed reforms in wage payments, rates, implementation of wage structure, collective bargaining, social security, safety and proper resolution of labor disputes.
Farooq Ahmed, secretary general of the Bangladesh Employers’ Federation, said that while forced labor exists in some informal sectors, forced labor does not exist in Bangladesh.
Nuzhat Jabin, program director of Christian Aid Bangladesh, and Taslima Akhter Lima, a member of the Labor Reform Commission, also spoke at the program.
