Government has chalked out a plan to set up two labour courts in Sylhet and Rangpur – taking the total number to nine.
State Minister for Labour Md Mujibul Haque said this on Wednesday while talking to the journalists after a meeting with a parliamentary delegation of the European Union at the Secretariat in Dhaka.
Jean Lambert led the 11-member EU team, said bdnews24.
According to Mr Hoque, “We are setting up two more labour courts to ensure justice for the workers.”
Ministry also plans to re-designate the three labour courts, currently in Dhaka, to look after the legal affairs of workers in Narsingdi, Narayanganj and Gazipur.
The junior minister said, “It’s quite difficult for a worker who lives in Gazipur to come to Dhaka for legal services.”
He revealed, “We struck a deal with investors that trade unions would not be allowed in EPZs. The Workers Welfare Association was set up later. Now, a separate law for EPZ, in line with the international labour law, is underway.”
“In an extraordinary move, we resent the law to parliament after some modifications.”
The EU delegation was briefed on how women in Bangladesh are now more empowered than ever, said the state minister. “Bangladesh had sent a draft report on its workforce to the International Labour Organisation or ILO. The ILO reviewed it and made observations. We will amend the labour law as per their recommendations.”
He said, “Under the present system, consents of 30 percent workers are required for the formation of a trade union at a factory. We are trying to decrease the percentage.”
The number of trade unions in Bangladesh is 700 and a few hundred more are in the pipeline, he added.
