A high-powered trade mission from the European Union (EU) was in Bangladesh on a three-day trip recently. It met with the stakeholders to assess the labour rights scenario, which would determine the country’s eligibility to retain the trade benefits under everything but arms (EBA) regime.
During the meeting, labour rights bodies/groups and owners of the readymade garment factories presented contradictory picture as to the existing workers’ rights situation, claimed media reports. The delegation led by Nikolaos Zaimis, Director General for trade of the European Commission, held a meeting with factory owners on Tuesday and a meeting with labour leaders on Monday.
At the Monday’s meeting, labour leaders reportedly informed the EU delegation that more than 11,000 RMG workers were terminated from their jobs due to taking part in demonstrations demanding wage hike in December 2018 and January this year.
They also alleged that many workers continue to face criminal charges filed by factory owners. Further, the labour leaders reportedly informed the EC officials that ILO conventions were being violated in Bangladesh and workers were forced to do overtime for 4 hours a day instead of 2 hours.
National Garment Workers Federation President Amirul Haque Amin, former Industriall Bangladesh Council Secretary General Towhidur Rahman and Bangladesh Garment and Industrial Workers Federation President Babul Akter attended the meeting, among others.
The labour leaders alleged that trade unions were getting registration at a very slow pace and the existing labour laws were not worker friendly.
After the Monday’s meeting with labour leaders, the delegation called upon leaders of Bangladesh Employers Federation, Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association and Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association on Tuesday, who presented the progress Bangladesh has made in the area of worker rights, claimed the media reports.
The President of BGMEA, Dr. Rubana Huq reportedly informed the delegation that a total of 27 wage-related cases were filed against workers and 10 of them had already been withdrawn, while as to the workers’ termination, she said that nearly 4,000 workers were terminated although labour rights groups claimed the figure of terminated workers to be 12,000.
After the meeting, Rubana informed the scribes that the delegation had queries on trade union issues including low rate of online trade union registration.
The EU team also stressed reducing further the workers’ participation threshold for trade union registration to 10 per cent from 20 per cent, she said.
