An expert committee of International Labour Organisation has recently urged the government to bring the draft of Export Processing Zones Labour Act in line with the ILO conventions to provide equal rights of freedom of association to all workers and bring the EPZs within the purview of the labour inspectorate.The ILO requested government to take necessary measures to bring the EPZs within the purview of the ministry of labour and the labour Inspectorate.Mentioning 27 issues that are critical for freedom of association, the ILO committee suggested government to repeal or substantially amend the provisions to ensure the compatibility of the draft EPZ Labour Act with the ILO convention 87 and 98.
Expressing dissatisfaction over the draft EPZ Labour Act which was placed at the ILO in November last year, the committee said that many changes requested by the ILO were still not addressed by the proposed amendments.The ILO committee emphasised the need to further review the draft EPZ Labour Act to ensure its conformity with the ILO convention adding that specific categories of workers continue to be excluded from the law by the draft.It also opposed the provision of 30 per cent membership requirement to create a Workers Welfare Association, election process of collective bargaining agent and the provisions related to prohibition of strike or lockout.Although the government provided information to the ILO committee that the administration and inspection of factories in EPZs would fall under the Bangladesh Labour Act, the administration and inspection in the EPZs would remain separate from those under the BLA, the report said.The Committee of Experts on the Application of Conventions and Recommendations of International Labour Organisation has recently submitted the report to the governing body of the ILO.Suggested for ensuring full conformity with the ILO convention, the committee said that it was necessary to enable associations to affiliate beyond the zone and engage with actors outside their zone and enterprise. The ILO committee said the government confirmed that there were no reported cases of anti-union discrimination in the RMG sector but observed that, to avoid discrimination, the Zone Authority conducted hearings of the concerned workers.The Committee requested the government to clarify whether such hearings were done on a preventive basis or as a follow-up to complaints filed by workers. The committee also requested government again to establish an online database for anti-union discrimination complaints specific to the EPZs so as to ensure full transparency of the process, and to continue to provide statistics on the number of anti-union discrimination complaints brought to the competent authorities, their follow-up and the remedies and sanctions imposed. According to the report, the government informed ILO committee that some of the requested amendments were not taken into account due to the concerns raised by workers and investors.The government said that both workers and investors agreed that to ensure harmonious industrial relations in EPZs only one WWA should be formed within a company.The Zone Authority developed its own mechanism of labour inspection, which was effective, transparent, accountable and scalable and also assisted workers and employers to solve disputes through the Alternative Dispute Resolution, the government informed.‘Both workers and investors are satisfied with the inspection and administration system of the EPZs and involvement of another authority can create dual administration issues, confusion among the parties and even unrest,’ the government said to the ILO committee.Regarding the ILO expert committee report on draft EPZ Labour Act, the state minister for labour Md Mujubul Haque, earlier, said that he was not aware about the draft as the task was conducted by the prime minister’s office.
