Govt steps up efforts to enforce strong labour laws

Staff Reporter:

The government is fast-tracking reforms to enhance labour law enforcement and improve working conditions across industries, Labour Adviser Brigadier General (retd) M Sakhawat Hussain said on Thursday.

According to a press release, measures are being taken to establish a stronger legal and administrative framework, prevent repeated cases against workers, and introduce stricter penalties for labour-related violations.

“Recruitment of labour inspectors is also being accelerated to ensure better compliance monitoring at factories and industrial establishments,” he added.

The adviser made the remarks during a meeting in Dhaka on Wednesday with officials from foreign embassies and representatives of the ILO Dhaka office.

As part of the reforms, seven new labour courts are being set up, and an online case management system is being rolled out to speed up dispute resolution and increase transparency.

The government is also moving toward full digitalisation of the labour sector, including the creation of an integrated workers’ database.

Hussain said the recently approved amendment to the Labour Act 2006 will soon be published in the gazette, paving the way for a rights-based and decent working environment.

Trade union registration will be simplified, and alternative dispute resolution mechanisms will be introduced to ensure occupational health, safety, and decent working conditions.

He added that Bangladesh has ratified three key ILO conventions, with instruments signed on 20 October in the presence of Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus, to be formally handed over to the ILO Director-General.

With the ratification of Conventions 155 and 187, Bangladesh has now ratified all 10 fundamental ILO conventions, marking a major milestone for the interim government.