Experts and members of the government-formed Labor Reform Commission have proposed the implementation of a national minimum wage and a unified labor law applicable to workers across all sectors, including those within and outside Export Processing Zones (EPZs).
During a program titled “Reforms in Workers’ Livelihood, Workplace Safety, and Rights Issues: An Agenda for the Interim Government” in Dhaka, participants also emphasized safeguarding female workers’ rights and formalizing the informal sector, which employs 85% of Bangladesh’s 8.5 crore workforce.
The event, jointly organized by the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) and Christian Aid, featured key speakers including Syed Sultan Uddin Ahmed, head of the Labor Reform Commission. He highlighted challenges such as high expectations from deprived workers, a tight 90-day timeframe for recommendations, and insufficient data on labor rights.
Ahmed described issues such as “modern-day slavery” in local sectors, lack of maternity leave, and inadequate legal protections for informal workers. He also called for creating an accurate worker database and addressing wage discrimination, noting the economic and societal necessity of fair wages and minimum protections.
Experts discussed phased implementation of a national minimum wage, currently limited to 42 sectors, with plans to include more. Other recommendations included reforms in wage structure, collective bargaining, social insurance, and dispute resolution mechanisms.
Kamran T Rahman of the MCCI emphasized the importance of balancing workers’ rights with responsibilities and noted the disparity in earnings between Bangladeshi and other South Asian migrant workers, often due to inadequate skill development.
The commission pledged to include these issues in its recommendations to the interim government, stressing follow-up actions to ensure implementation.
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