Labour rules must align with amended law, experts urge government
Labour rights advocates say revising the Bangladesh Labour Rules is a key opportunity to remove legal inconsistencies and strengthen workers' protections.
Highlights:
- Experts seek labour rules aligned with amended law
- Revised rules should strengthen workers' legal protections
- Stakeholders call for broader labour law consultations
- New rights require detailed implementation framework
- ILO urges faster labour reform implementation
Labour rights experts have urged the government to comprehensively revise the Bangladesh Labour Rules to bring them into line with the recently amended Bangladesh Labour Act, saying subordinate legislation should not weaken rights guaranteed under the parent law.
The call came at a stakeholders' meeting titled "Review of the Bangladesh Labour Rules, 2015 and Recommendations for Alignment with the Bangladesh Labour Act, 2006", organised by the Solidarity Center in Dhaka today (11 July), according to a press release.
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Presenting the keynote paper, Solidarity Center Country Programme Director AKM Nasim said the government's ongoing review of the labour rules provides an opportunity to remove inconsistencies and strengthen the implementation of workers' rights.
He said the rules should remain fully consistent with the Labour Act and facilitate, rather than restrict, its implementation.
The keynote paper identified several provisions requiring amendment, including those relating to the classification of temporary workers, retrenchment notice pay, workers' access to employment records, disciplinary enquiry timelines and the provision of cooled drinking water during summer.
It also recommended introducing detailed rules to implement rights added under the 2026 amendments, including workers' right to refuse unsafe work, protection against workplace discrimination, violence and harassment, and extending labour protections to domestic and digital platform workers.
The paper further proposed strengthening safeguards for trade union registration and elections, protection against unfair labour practices, equal pay for equal work and the newly established Alternative Dispute Resolution Authority.
Speaking at the event, Labour Reform Commission Chairman Syed Sultan Uddin Ahmmed said labour reforms should be carried out through broad-based consultations involving trade unions, legal experts and government representatives while remaining consistent with international labour standards.
ILO Country Director Max Tuñón urged Bangladesh to accelerate dialogue on implementing its labour reform roadmap by March next year, stressing that workers' fundamental rights should not be compromised.
