Minister of Labour and Employment and of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Ariful Haque Chowdhury today said that protecting workers' rights, ensuring a safe working environment, social dialogue and decent employment are the main priorities of the current government.

“Under the leadership of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, the government is committed to ensuring decent work, workers' welfare and productive employment,” he said.  

He made the remarks during a courtesy meeting with a high-level delegation of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) and the International Organisation of Employers (IOE) at the conference room of the Ministry of Labor and Employment.

He said that this visit by the delegation will play an important role in reviewing progress in tripartite dialogue among workers, employers, and the government and in implementing the ILO roadmap.

After the newly elected government took office, the Bangladesh Labor Act was amended in the very first session of the National Parliament. In addition, Bangladesh has recently ratified ILO Conventions Nos. 155, 187, and 189. Various initiatives have also been taken to strengthen social dialogue, dispute resolution and labor administration, he added.

The minister further said that in order to effectively implement the amended labor law, formulating the Bangladesh Labor Rules is now one of the government's key goals. The commitments made for workers must be transformed into real and visible development. 

In the discussion, Mahdi Amin, Adviser to the Prime Minister and Spokesperson of the Prime Minister's Office, said, the current government is sincerely working to ensure workers' rights. The government is interested in working jointly by giving importance to the well-considered advice of the delegation.

During the meeting, the ITUC and IOE delegation expressed satisfaction with Bangladesh's initiatives in amending the labor law, simplifying trade union registration, occupational health and safety, and ensuring fair wages. 

At the same time, they requested that export processing zones (EPZs) be brought under the overall labor law instead of a separate law.

The delegation included ITUC General Secretary Luc Triangle, IOE Vice-Chair Kaiser Moyane, ILO Governing Body member Jess Vogt, and ILO Country Director Max Tunon, among other officials.