Bangladesh needs to continue to promote better governance of labour administration, labour inspection, and industrial safety because these are key issues of credibility as the country moves forwardBangladesh is heading in the right direction in terms of workplace safety and workers’ rights, but there is still a long way to go.Speaking to journalists on Tuesday during an event, in response to questions about the state of Bangladeshi workers’ safety since the Rana Plaza disaster, the Country Director for International LabourOrganisationTuomoPoutiainen said Bangladesh is going in the right direction in many ways, “but the journey is long.”“We are talking here about institutionalization of change. It is not that we do something that we do for a while, it is something that we do for the sake of continuing to do so, and that the government, the employers and the trade unions have that capacity to maintain the focus,” he said.“In a certain manner good things have happened since Rana Plaza and they continue to happen,” Tuomoadded.If you talk about sustaining change, a very positive trajectory of change has commenced. Now it is time to continue that trajectory,” hesaid.Bangladesh needs to continue to promote better governance of labour administration, labour inspection, and industrial safety because these are key issues of credibility as the country moves forward. Such steps will ensure the trust of investors and buyers.“It really is about having long-term capacity, having institutions of quality. The whole labour inspection reform is relatively recent. It will take some time, but the important issue is there is a commitment to get there,” he said.“And that’s why this industrial safety agency that the government has committed to establish as a Rana Plaza legacy is important.”“The ILO recognizes the need for workers and employers to talk about these issues competently, and therefore it has capacity building processes in place not only for trade unions but also for employers,” Tuomosaid.“We believe and promote that workplace safety is better when there is better workers’ voice,” he said.“The environment has improved, as there has been such a big investment in promoting workers’ voice, particularly in the garment industry,” he said.“Is it sufficient? No, it’s not,” he added.“There is more to be to create space for workers to be able to genuinely express their voice and concerns, not only on safety but on any matter. The ILO is very much invested in the issues of employment and skill development,” the country director said.“There are more than two million young people coming into the labour market every year and they need to have decent work, hopefully in the formal economy. Even if it is in the informal economy, how that work be safer and more productive is important.“Decent jobs for young women and men are crucial, and to have them, Bangladesh needs to invest in skill development, vocational training, apprenticeship and education systems able to generate skills needed by the market,” he added.“This is an area where ILO continues to work together with employers, unions and others,” he added.
