The government has upgraded the labour directorate to a department and approved 209 new posts and six regional offices for it, officials said.
The total manpower of the Department of Labour would be 921 from the existing 712, they added.
The ministry of labour on Monday issued a circular in this connection announcing the upgrade of the directorate to the department of labour with immediate effect.
The designations of some 133 existing labour directorate posts would be changed, 45 posts would be upgraded and 17 posts would be abolished, officials said.
The latest development came in line with the Sustainability Compact that recommended ensuring the upgrade of the Department of Labour with staff and resources.
In July 2013, Bangladesh, European Union and the International Labour Organisation (ILO) signed the Compact, later joined by the United States and Canada, after the Rana Plaza building collapse to improve working conditions and labour rights in the country's readymade garment industry.
"The department can address the workers' rights issue more efficiently with its increased manpower," Abu Hena Mostafa Kamal, director of labour, told the FE Monday.
According to officials, the labour directorate is responsible for ensuring labour rights including registration of trade unions, labour-related dispute resolutions, building awareness, labour training and keeping the labour situation stable across the country.
To perform this responsibility properly, the department would establish six regional offices in various places including Dinajpur and Mymensingh, they added.
On February 28, 2013, the labour ministry in a proposal to the public administration ministry asked for the upgrade of the directorate to a department with increasing the manpower to 2,065 from 712, labour ministry officials said.
"Considering the increasing number of factories, establishments and workers, the directorate of labour should be upgraded to department of labour with an increased number of workforce to address the workers' rights issue properly," the labour ministry proposal reads.
Later in January last year, the public administration ministry gave its approval to upgrade the directorate of labour to the labour department approving a total of 1,024 posts, a labour ministry official said.
The finance ministry had approved a total manpower of 921 with 209 new posts in January 2017.
After getting the finance ministry's approval, the proposal was sent to the law ministry for its vetting, the officials said, adding the Prime Minister's Office on October 30 finally approved the proposal.
The appointment to 1st class officer posts would be given by the Public Service Commission, while the appointment to other posts would be made by the department, he said.
A draft services rules against the approved posts are being prepared and the appointments would start once the public administration ministry approves the services rules.
