BEF Backs Labour Standards, Cautions on Reforms

Greenwatch Desk Employment 2025-09-04, 1:20pm

The Bangladesh Employers’ Federation (BEF), along with major sectoral associations, has reiterated its commitment to strengthening labour standards and rights in line with international obligations, while cautioning against reforms that do not reflect the country’s ground realities and industrial context.

In a press statement on Thursday, BEF Secretary-General and CEO Farooq Ahmed said that although consensus has already been reached on over 90 percent of proposed changes to the Bangladesh Labour Act (BLA) under the ILO and EU roadmaps, the continuous cycle of amendments has left little scope to assess their effectiveness on the ground.

“It is a matter of grave concern that, even after being agreed by tripartite constituents, fresh recommendations are being imposed, effectively sidelining both employers and workers who are the principal stakeholders in the world of work,” the statement said.

BEF expressed particular concern over a new proposal that would allow only 20 individuals to form an enterprise-level union irrespective of the enterprise size. Employers said such a ‘blanket provision’ risks destabilising workplaces, opening the door to manipulation by external groups, undermining investor confidence, and weakening genuine trade unionism.

The Federation stressed that Bangladesh’s core labour challenges lie not in passing more laws but in ensuring that institutions and the workforce have the capacity to enforce them. Weak labour inspection, under-resourced institutions, and ineffective monitoring remain major obstacles, it said.

“What the labour market urgently needs is capacity building—training, upskilling, and reskilling of workers and management to meet new industrial realities, alongside equipping officials with the tools and know-how to enforce compliance,” the statement added.

Employers called upon the ILO and development partners to respect the principle of tripartism and to ensure transparent discussions with government, workers, and employers before making further recommendations.

They also urged the government to steer the reform process in a pragmatic and balanced manner that protects national interests, sustains competitiveness, and advances labour rights in credible and workable ways, reports UNB.

“Unrealistic amendments may temporarily satisfy certain external quarters but would do so at the expense of the long-term sustainability of enterprises, the stability of the labour market, and the livelihoods of millions of workers,” the BEF cautioned.