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 - ILO Governing Body, 346th session

Thank you, Chairperson.

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

The Candidate Countries Albania*, Moldova, and Montenegro*, the EFTA countries Iceland and Norway, members of the European Economic Area, and Switzerland align themselves with this statement.

1. The EU and its Member States attach great importance to human rights, including labour rights, with freedom of association and collective bargaining being key enabling rights, and we support the indispensable role played by the ILO in developing, promoting and supervising the application of ratified international labour standards and in particular of the Fundamental Conventions.
2. We thank the Office and give our full support for its constant engagement in promoting labour rights in Bangladesh and monitoring the implementation of the road map.
3. Thus, we welcome the submission of a progress report on the implementation of the road map, developed around four priority areas.
4. We note the adoption of the Bangladesh Labour Rules in September this year and the finalization of the Export Processing Zones Labour Rules. We acknowledge the reported training of workers representatives on the online system for the registration of trade unions, the ongoing training of labour inspectors, as well as consultation meetings conducted with the ILO to develop standard operating procedures for conciliation and arbitration of industrial disputes.
5. However, we would like to repeat that we are concerned that the Government of Bangladesh is lagging behind on fulfilling several actions in the Roadmap and has only partially implemented relevant labour law reforms. In particular, the revision of the Bangladesh Labour Rules was only minimal and further efforts are needed to bring it in compliance with international labour standards. We are particularly concerned about the remaining obstacles to the unionization of workers, as well as the systematic refusal of workers’ rights regarding wage payments, overtime and working conditions. Both employers and the government have a responsibility to ensure these rights.
6. We stress the importance of tripartite consultations, which is also in line with Bangladesh’s commitment as a partner in the Global Deal initiative. We welcome the discussions on the progress made at the Tripartite Implementation and Monitoring Committee (TIMC), while we strongly emphasise that it is the responsibility of the Government to ensure compliance of its laws and practices with ratified international labour standards.
7. We would like to reaffirm our strong commitment to cooperate with the Bangladesh, in partnership with the ILO. The EU and its Member States have established a close relationship with Bangladesh, fostering cooperation on implementing labour standards for many years.
8. In this respect, we are monitoring the implementation of the National Action Plan (NAP) on the Labour Sector of Bangladesh (2021-2026). The National Action Plan and the Roadmap presented to the ILO are mutually reinforcing as they both underline the fundamental importance of compliance with ratified ILO Conventions. We underline the need to implement both on time.
9. While acknowledging the steps taken, we call on the Government for the timely delivery and comprehensive implementation of all its commitments as presented in the four priority areas of the Roadmap.
10. The Government’s commitment and further action are essential to address the core of the Article 26 complaint. In this regard, we note the great extent of action that still needs to be taken, which compel a continued close monitoring of the progress in the implementation of the Roadmap.
11. Chair, in light of the considerations and concerns raised above we can support the decision point and we will revisit the decision on further action in respect of the Article 26 complaint at ILO’s 347^th GB Session in March next year.

Thank you, Chair.

*Albania and Montenegro continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.