The European Parliamentary Committee on International Trade has categorically asked Bangladesh that it needs to improve rights situation and amend labour law at the earliest in compliance with international standards to be eligible for GSP Plus. Bangladesh will not be eligible for GSP after 2029 and then needs to be eligible for GSP Plus. The country has to implement 32 international conventions on human rights, labour rights, environment and good governance. In return, the EU cuts its import duties to zero on more than two-thirds of the tariff lines.
Bangladesh should amend the labour law, stop extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances, allow civil and political rights, and attain good management possible. The present law has made the unions and individual worker so powerful that play politics and resort to blackmail. The law is biased against order in industries. In some cases the owners feel so helpless that they maintain dangerous elements to keep peace in the working places. In most cases, the union leaders do politics to use their members as power of political parties.
Any sensible government will protect the industries for encouraging employment and economic development and not agree to implement any condition that goes against investment to create job opportunities.
The EU has been pressuring Bangladesh over the last few years to make a uniform labour law for both the
workers of the Export Processing Zones (EPZs) and outside of the EPZs. Currently, the labour law allows trade unions outside of the EPZs, not inside EPZ factories. As the EU has a zero-tolerance policy on child labour, it attaches great importance to Bangladesh’s commitment to fully eliminate child labour by 2025.
But as far as the right to union activities is concerned, these should be considered in the backdrop of the need of attracting investment in the situation of peaceful management. Viewed in this context our opinion is there should be a suspension of union activities for the initial period of at least five years. It is important to prohibit political activities of the union leaders. Industries should be saved from muscle power politics fuelled by corruption.
We also will urge the labour ministry not to be a sleeping duck in looking after the interest of both the workers and owners of the industries.
