Sakhawat Pledges to Ensure Workers’ Health and Decent Working Conditions
Labour and Employment and Shipping Adviser Brigadier General (retd) Dr M Sakhawat Hossain has said workers' occupational health, decent working environment and safety will be ensured by further simplifying trade union registration and keeping opportunities for alternative dispute resolution. He made the remark while speaking at a meeting with officials of embassies of various countries to Bangladesh and representatives of the ILO Dhaka Office. The meeting was arranged by the Ministry of Labour and Employment at the Westin Hotel in Dhaka yesterday as part of preparation for attending the 355th Governing Body Meeting of the International Labor Organization (ILO) in Geneva, a handout said here today.
Speaking as the chief guest, Dr Sakhawat said Bangladesh has already ratified three important ILO conventions-- conventions no. 155 and 187 on occupational safety and health (OSH) of workers and convention no. 190 on prevention of violence and harassment at workplaces. He said the ratification documents were signed in the presence of the Chief Adviser on October 20 and those will be handed over to the Director General (DG) of the ILO very soon.
Termed this achievement as a major success of the interim government, the labour adviser said with the ratification of conventions 155 and 187, Bangladesh has now become a country that has ratified all 10 fundamental conventions of the ILO. The ratification of convention 190 will play an important role in preventing violence and harassment at work, especially for women workers, he said.
Dr Sakhawat said work is underway to create the necessary legal and administrative framework to prevent recurrence of cases against workers and increase penalties for offenses. The appointment of labour inspectors is being expedited to ensure the implementation of labour laws, he said. In addition to establishing seven new labour courts, he said, an online case management system is being launched, while digitalisation in the labour sector and the creation of an integrated labour database are also progressing.
The adviser also said the recently approved amendment ordinance to the Labour Act 2006 will be published in gazette soon, which will ensure a decent working environment for workers. About the shipping section, the adviser announced Bangladesh's candidacy for the position of Category 'C' member of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Council for the term 2026-27 and sought support from the embassies of different countries.
At the meeting, ambassadors of various countries and ILO representatives thanked the Bangladesh interim government for approving the Amendment Ordinance to the Labour Act 2006 and ratifying three ILO conventions.
