Bangladesh to align revised labour law
Bangladesh would revise Bangladesh Labour Act 2006 to align with international standards as part of efforts to eliminate child labour, said Labour and Employment Secretary AHM Shafiquzzaman on Monday...
Tags : labour
International labour standards at tanneries stressed聽
Labour and employment secretary AHM Shafiquzzaman on Thursday laid emphasize on harnessing the immense potential of Bangladesh鈥檚 tannery sector to significantly contribute to the national economy.
Last respects paid to labour leader Lutfar Rahman
The leaders of different political parties and labour organisations on Tuesday paid last respect to labour leader Lutfar Rahman in front of the central office of the Communist Party of Bangladesh on Comrade Moni Singh Sarak in Dhaka...
Inclusive definition of 鈥榳orker鈥� matters
IT HAS been more than two months since the Labour Reform Commission released its report, outlining the reformation of labour law in Bangladesh. Although the reform proposals have not yet been enacted into statutory law, the commission鈥檚 report offers insight into the changes that should be made to the existing legal framework...
Urgent action needed to end workplace fatalities
WORKERS continuing to die or face brutality while trying to earn a living is symptomatic of a systemic failure to properly uphold labour rights. In the first half of 2025, at least 422 workers died in 373 workplace-related incidents, as the Safety and Rights Society says. Traffic accidents caused 267 of the death, with the transport sector alone accounting for 207 fatalities. Many of...
Child workers are but ignored
Child labour remains a pressing crisis globally. According to estimates by the ILO and UNICEF, as of 2024, around 138 million children were engaged in labour, with approximately 54 million involved in hazardous tasks that endanger their health and development. Agriculture continues to account for the majority of cases, representing 61 per cent of all child labour...
Labour law to be amended by Nov: Sakhawat
Bangladesh will amend its labour law by November, introducing tougher penalties for child labour, said labour and employment adviser Brigadier General (retired) M Sakhawat Hossain on Wednesday...
Confronting child labour
THE childhood of thousands of children are consumed by hardship, lost to the shadow of child labour. Child labour remains a critical issue across South Asia, especially in Bangladesh. Instead of books and play, countless children are burdened with work in brick kilns, factories, tea estates, hotels, buses, quarries, garages, and hazardous industries like tobacco and...
Govt to set up employment dept, says Shakhawat
The interim government of Bangladesh has taken an initiative to establish an employment department to expand job opportunities on the labour market, said labour and employment adviser M Shakhawat Hossain.
Bangladesh not on track to end child labour by 2025
While a new report shows a sharp decline in child labour in the Asia-Pacific region, the situation in Bangladesh is not the same...
World still had 138m child labourers in 2024: UN
Nearly 138 million children were still working in the world鈥檚 fields and factories in 2024, the United Nations said on Wednesday, warning that given the slow pace of progress, eliminating child labour could be delayed by 鈥榟undreds of years.鈥�...
Sakhawat holds meeting with US deputy secretary of labour
Labour and employment and shipping adviser M Sakhawat Hussain held a bilateral meeting with the United States deputy secretary of Labour Keith E Sonderling at the side-line of International Labour Conference at the ILO Headquarters in Geneva on Tuesday...
Bangladesh iterates strong commitment to labour rights
Bangladesh reiterated its commitment to enhancing labour rights, ensuring a safe and decent working environment, and strengthening the implementation of labour laws with the support of the International Labour Organisation鈥檚 technical assistance...
Legal reforms to protect labour rights a must
WORKER rights in Bangladesh continue to remain unprotected as reported in the most recent Global Rights Index of the International Trade Union Confederation. This is disconcerting. In the index made public on June 2, Bangladesh is ranked among the 10 worst countries with a score of 5, suggesting that the country has no guarantee for worker rights. For nine consecutive...
Confronting labour trafficking
MODERN-DAY slavery remains one of the most shameful stains on our collective humanity. Despite commendable strides in economic and human development, Bangladesh continues to face a grave challenge in the form of labour trafficking. Each year, thousands of Bangladeshi men, women and children are ensnared by false promises, deceptive recruiters...
Good governance, accountability
After almost a year of suspension of recruitment in the Malaysian labour market, Bangladesh is currently in bilateral discussions to resume the recruitment of Bangladeshi workers. Recently, Malaysia announced that it will resume the process of recruiting workers from the source countries. On May 13, 2025, a delegation led by the adviser of the...
HC asks EC for BLP registration
The High Court on Thursday ordered the Election Commission to give registration to Bangladesh Labour Party and allocate them an election symbol.
LABOUR REFORM: Implementation of commission recommendations demanded
Politicians, academics and garment labour leaders on Friday at a rally in Dhaka called on the interim government to take steps to establish rights of the workers, especially the garment workers.
Tea Labourers Day observed in Moulvibazar
Tea labourers in Moulvibazar on Tuesday observed 鈥楾ea Labourers Day,鈥� locally known as 鈥楳ulluke Cholo鈥�, to commemorate the tragic deaths of hundreds of tea garden workers during a revolt against British colonial rule in 1921.
ILO country director for inclusive labour reforms
International Labour Organisation country director for Bangladesh, Tuomo Poutiainen, called for inclusive and sustained labour reforms, with particular focus on employment generation, stronger institutions and protections for marginalised communities and undervalued sectors...
BEPZA, ILO sign deal to harmonise labour laws
The Bangladesh Export Processing Zones Authority and the International Labour Organisation have signed a letter of intent to implement a two-year plan aimed at aligning labour laws in Export Processing Zones with national legislation, ensuring equal labour rights across all industries...
Reimagining polytech education
BANGLADESH is at a critical juncture where demographic opportunity meets economic necessity. With a median age of just over 27 years and more than two million youth entering the labour market every year, the demand for employable skills has never been greater. Against this backdrop, polytechnic education, the cornerstone of technical and vocational education...
Lutfey Siddiqi briefs diplomats on labour reform progress
Reviewing the past eight months of progress on labour reforms and outlining the government鈥檚 roadmap ahead, special envoy to the chief adviser for international affairs Lutfey Siddiqi on Monday conveyed to the top Western nations鈥� ambassadors and high commissioners that they had made a 鈥榙ramatic progress鈥�.
City shops to be registered: labour adviser
The Adviser to the Ministry of Labour and Employment, M Sakhawat Hossain, said that all residential hotels, restaurants, supermarkets, shopping malls, and major market shops in Dhaka must compulsorily complete registration under the Bangladesh Labour Act 2006...
Workplace safety, Tk聽30,000 minimum wage demanded
The country along with the rest of the world observed May Day, also known as International Workers鈥� Day, on Thursday with demands for ensuring worker rights, including right to workplace safety and right to forming and joining trade unions.
22,000 cases pending with labour courts
The wait for justice for hundreds of workers is getting ever longer, as the labour courts and the labour appellate tribunal are struggling to deal with a backlog of around 22,000 cases...
Labour rights still far cry
The labour sector needs comprehensive reforms to ensure worker rights and welfare. The interim government has, however, received recommendations from the labour reforms commission...
Mongla port blames stevedore worker feud for labour unrest
The Mongla Port Authority clarified that recent reports circulating on social media regarding attacks on labour leaders were not reflective of the port鈥檚 operations, but rather stem from internal conflicts among workers managed by stevedores...
Experts for bringing informal labour sector under regulations
Experts and sector people on Monday suggested that the informal labour sector should be brought under stronger governmental regulations...
Informality trap
THE employment landscape of Bangladesh is highly concentrated towards the informal sector, accounting for 84.07 per cent of total employment, according to the Labour Force Survey (2023). The survey figured that informality is prevalent at a higher rate among women, with 95.7 per cent engaged in informal jobs and only 4.3 per cent in formal roles. Again, an...