Economic Reporter :
Officials from the Bangladesh Government’s Department of Labour and Industrial Relations Institutes (IRI) are participating in the training.
International Labour Organisation with the support of Sweden and Denmark has launched a training to support workplace cooperation and handle grievances, said a press release on Tuesday.
A five-day training programme began in Dhaka on Monday to establish a pool of 30 master trainers, said a press release issued by the ILO.
Officials from the Bangladesh Government’s Department of Labour and Industrial Relations Institutes (IRI) are participating in the training.
The initial focus has been given on workplace cooperation, with future sessions set to cover collective bargaining and grievance procedures.
Once trained, these master trainers are expected to play a crucial role to support the development of workplace cooperation plans.
The plans were taken in 34 non-unionised factories out of a group of 54 pilot factories provided by the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) and Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA).
These plans will provide a basis for the work of the Participation Committees in these factories. By including IRI lecturers in the programme the capacity of DoL’s training arm will also be enhanced. Meanwhile, four staff from the BGMEA and BKMEA also took part.
Gagan Rajbhandari, Deputy Director of ILO Bangladesh said: “This training marks an important first step in our efforts to create better social dialogue in Bangladesh.”
“Enhancing the capacity of the Department of Labour and Industrial Relations Institutes will help build a more mature industrial relations environment for Bangladesh that will benefit employers and workers alike.”
The training programme has been developed with the support of the ILO’s International Training Centre (ITC).
It is the first of a series to be held by the ILO’s Improving Social Dialogue and Harmonious Industrial Relations in the Bangladesh RMG sector project.
