UNB, Dhaka :
A bill titled ‘The Bangladesh EPZ Labour Law, 2016’ was placed in Parliament on Sunday keeping a
provision for constituting labour organisations in the Export Processing Zones (EPZs) as well as forming a permanent wage board for the workers.
Agriculture Minister Matia Chowdhury, who is
in-charge of the Prime Minister’s Office in the House, placed the bill.
The bill was sent to the respective parliamentary standing committee for further scrutiny. The committee was asked to submit its report within 15 days.
The law is going to be framed in light of the existing Labour Law, 2006.
According to the bill, family members of a worker will get compensation to the tune of Tk 2 lakh if he or she dies while on duty, and Tk 2.25 lakh has been fixed for ‘permanent’ or ‘complete’ disability of any worker.
The advantages of the draft law include financial facility for workers, their retirement benefits, mandatory group insurance, compensation in case of deaths, cash payment for earned leave, paying full salary as festival bonus and maternity leave for 16 weeks. The law has a provision of forming a 12-member permanent wage board comprising representatives from workers and investors as well as representative from a neutral source.
The Executive Chairman of Bepza will act as the chief of the permanent wage board for fixing the minimum wages for the workers. For ensuring the right to forming labour organisations and operating its activities in the EPZs, there will be organisations in the EPZs to be named as Sramik Kalyan Samity, which has no difference with other trade unions.
If the workers of a factory situated in the EPZ want to form the Samity, 30 percent of them have to apply to the EPZ Authority. There will be a vote among the applied workers and if 50 percent of them cast their vote for Samity it would get approval.
The proposed law has ensured the right to joint wage bargaining for workers where their representatives will be able to bargain directly with the owners for fixing wage, working hours, appointments and the conditions for appointments and observing strikes. The workers would retire from their jobs from the EPZ factories on completion of 60 years age while they could also opt for (voluntary) retirement upon completion of their jobs for 25 years. The workers will enjoy provident fund facilities in both cases.
A bill titled ‘The Bangladesh EPZ Labour Law, 2016’ was placed in Parliament on Sunday keeping a
provision for constituting labour organisations in the Export Processing Zones (EPZs) as well as forming a permanent wage board for the workers.
Agriculture Minister Matia Chowdhury, who is
in-charge of the Prime Minister’s Office in the House, placed the bill.
The bill was sent to the respective parliamentary standing committee for further scrutiny. The committee was asked to submit its report within 15 days.
The law is going to be framed in light of the existing Labour Law, 2006.
According to the bill, family members of a worker will get compensation to the tune of Tk 2 lakh if he or she dies while on duty, and Tk 2.25 lakh has been fixed for ‘permanent’ or ‘complete’ disability of any worker.
The advantages of the draft law include financial facility for workers, their retirement benefits, mandatory group insurance, compensation in case of deaths, cash payment for earned leave, paying full salary as festival bonus and maternity leave for 16 weeks. The law has a provision of forming a 12-member permanent wage board comprising representatives from workers and investors as well as representative from a neutral source.
The Executive Chairman of Bepza will act as the chief of the permanent wage board for fixing the minimum wages for the workers. For ensuring the right to forming labour organisations and operating its activities in the EPZs, there will be organisations in the EPZs to be named as Sramik Kalyan Samity, which has no difference with other trade unions.
If the workers of a factory situated in the EPZ want to form the Samity, 30 percent of them have to apply to the EPZ Authority. There will be a vote among the applied workers and if 50 percent of them cast their vote for Samity it would get approval.
The proposed law has ensured the right to joint wage bargaining for workers where their representatives will be able to bargain directly with the owners for fixing wage, working hours, appointments and the conditions for appointments and observing strikes. The workers would retire from their jobs from the EPZ factories on completion of 60 years age while they could also opt for (voluntary) retirement upon completion of their jobs for 25 years. The workers will enjoy provident fund facilities in both cases.
