ILO Governing Body, 350th session - Report by the Government of Bangladesh on progress made on the implementation of the road map taken to address all outstanding issues mentioned in the article 26 complaint - EU Statement

ILO Governing Body, 350^th session

4 – 14 March 2024

Report by the Government of Bangladesh on progress made on the implementation of the road map taken to address all outstanding issues mentioned in the article 26 complaint concerning alleged non-observance of Conventions Nos 81, 87 and 98

Geneva, 12^th March 2024

EU statement

Chair,

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union and its Member States.

The candidate countries North Macedonia*, Montenegro*, Albania*, Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova, and the EFTA countries Iceland and Norway, members of the European Economic Area, as well as Switzerland, align themselves with this statement.

1. The EU and its Member States are committed to the respect, protection and fulfilment of human rights, including labour rights. We promote universal ratification and effective implementation of fundamental ILO Conventions and support the ILO in developing and promoting international labour standards and supervising their application.
2. We welcome the submission by Bangladesh of a progress report on the implementation of the ILO Roadmap on the Labour Sector in Bangladesh (2021-2026), developed around four priority areas, shared with the tripartite constituents and discussed at the Tripartite Implementation and Monitoring Committee meeting in January 2024.
3. We thank the Office and fully support the continued engagement of the ILO in promoting labour rights in Bangladesh and monitoring the implementation of the Roadmap.
4. The EU continues monitoring the implementation of the National Action Plan (NAP) on the Labour Sector of Bangladesh (2021-2026) that reinforces the Roadmap on the compliance with ratified ILO Conventions. We underline the importance for Bangladesh to accelerate efforts to effectively implement ratified Conventions.
5. We remain concerned by the fact that the Government of Bangladesh has only partially implemented the labour reforms it has committed to. We reiterate our call for the timely delivery and comprehensive implementation of all its commitments.
6. We note that the amendments to the Bangladesh Labour Act, which were adopted by the Parliament on 2^nd November 2023, have not yet entered into force. We expect the new Government to swiftly proceed with the revision of the Bangladesh Labour Act, in consultation with social partners, so that they ensure full alignment with international labour standards.
7. In particular, it is crucial to remove existing restrictions on freedom of association in all sectors and to facilitate the registration of trade unions and the right to collective bargaining.
8. On the EPZ Labour Act, we urge the government to expedite its review and follow a tripartite process to ensure that all workers are granted all rights outlined in the Freedom of Association Convention (No. 87).
9. We strongly encourage the Government to ensure full compliance of its labour law with international labour standards in close collaboration with social partners and to implement the recommendations of the ILO supervisory bodies. We regret that social partners have so far not been adequately consulted and involved in this process. We are concerned about the remaining obstacles to the unionisation of workers, as well as the systematic refusal of workers’ rights regarding wage payments, overtime and working conditions.
10. In consideration of the recent cases of workers and labour activists being injured, killed, harassed or intimidated for association with trade unions or in connection with wage demands and protests in late 2023, we urge the Government of Bangladesh to swiftly conduct investigations, hold those responsible to account and effectively implement preventative measures. Meaningful social dialogue is also a proven tool for maintaining and encouraging peaceful and constructive workplace relations.
11. Continued and intensified efforts are needed in training, including on the use of minimum force, for the relevant law enforcement authorities to deal with strikes and protests and more broadly to respect human rights including labour rights.
12. While acknowledging some efforts in this regard, further work is necessary to review the inspection framework to ensure independent and free inspections. We encourage the Government to continue working on full functionality of the labour inspectorates, for which a sufficient number of adequately trained labour inspectors is key.
13. The EU has established a close cooperation with Bangladesh on implementing labour standards for many years. We reaffirm our strong commitment to continue cooperating with Bangladesh, in partnership with the ILO, and we encourage the Government to keep engaging in effective dialogue. We will continue to closely monitor the progress in the implementation of the roadmap.
14. Chair, in light of the considerations and concerns raised above we support the decision point, including the deferral to the 352nd Session of the Governing Body of the decision to consider further action in respect of the article 26 complaint.

Thank you, Chair.

*[North Macedonia, Montenegro and Albania continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process].