The Government has threatened to take harsh measures against employers who fail to pay workers their correct wages, including removing their passports and, if necessary, initiating money laundering procedures, according to Brigadier General (Retd.) M Sakhawat Hussain, adviser to the Ministry of Labour and Employment.
He spoke at the start of a two-day high-level tripartite conference at the Radisson Blu Water Garden Hotel with the goal of advancing social discussion for inclusive and sustainable labour reforms.
Government representatives, employers and workers’ representatives attended the event, which was organised in collaboration with the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the Ministry of Labour and Employment.
Brigadier Sakhawat emphasised that productive tripartite talks had effectively settled labour conflicts in the previous year and urged their continuance to improve labour governance in the nation.
He also added “Employers must ensure timely payment of wages; the responsibility does not lie with the Government. If necessary, even personal assets must be used to settle workers’ dues. The Government has already appointed administrators to ensure that companies, including NASA Group, pay outstanding wages.”
The Cabinet has approved the ratification of Convention 155 (Occupational Safety and Health), Convention 187 (Promotional Framework) and Convention 190 (Violence and Harassment Prevention), Brigadier Sakhawat added, highlighting the Government’s recent decision to adopt important ILO treaties.
Md. Sanowar Jahan Bhuiyan, Secretary of the Ministry of Labour and Employment, stressed that no one actor—employer, worker or Government—can accomplish sustained transformation on their own.
Max Tuñon, the ILO Country Director for Bangladesh, emphasised that promoting Decent Work and sustainable businesses requires strong social discourse that is both tripartite and bipartite.
