DHAKA: The government is set to amend the labour law allowing trade union in the country’s garment industry, as the plea came up loudly following recent spells of rioting in the export-oriented sector.       

A high-powered committee will be formed within a week for amending the Labour Act 2006 in keeping with interest of labourers, Labour and Employment Minister Engineer Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain announced at a roundtable in the city Monday.

The minister said, “The labour law will be recast to ensure labourers’ interest, trade union in industry, and healthy relations between workers and owners.”

Labour Ministry and the International Labour Organization (ILO) jointly organized the roundtable on ‘Strategy to reduce violence in garment sector’ with labour secretary Nurul Haque in the chair.

He also identified the absence of trade union in industries, failure to identify masterminds of the unrest, uneven industrial relations as the key reasons behind the labour unrest in the sector.

The minister also said the government will provide loan to the owners at only 1 percent interest in constructing hospitals and dormitories for the garment workers.

Laying emphasis on the necessity of trade union, Economist Dr. Quazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmad told the roundtable that there is no forum to negotiate for the labourers’ interest.      

Labour leader Ray Ramesh Chandra, EU ambassador Dr Stefan Frowein and representatives of BGMEA and BKMEA also attended the meet.
BDST: 2036 HRS. AUG 09, 2010.