Labour and Employment Adviser Brigadier General (retd) Dr M Sakhawat Hussain has said the interim government has achieved a new level of international recognition over the past year by implementing wide-ranging labour reforms through tripartite cooperation among workers, employers and the government.
Hussain outlined a series of key reforms and achievements delivered in the labour sector over the past year. He said the Bangladesh Labour (Amendment) Ordinance, 2025—gazetted on 17th November—introduced notable changes, including granting domestic and agricultural workers the right to organise, extending maternity leave to 120 days, banning blacklisting, reducing trade union registration requirements to 20 members and establishing a mandatory future fund.
He added that the government had launched the Unemployed Workers Protection Programme (UWPP) Implementation Policy 2025, while the Customs Service had been declared an essential service. Annual wage growth in the garment sector has been raised from 5% to 9% and the minimum wage for seven sectors has been revised, with efforts under way to bring 21 more sectors under review.
Dr Hussain said Taka 575 crore in loan assistance had been disbursed to 31,669 workers and officials of Beximco Group, while Taka 31.67 crore had been paid to 17,134 workers and employees of NASA Group. He noted that steps had been taken to issue Interpol Red Notices against employers who had fled abroad without paying workers’ dues.
According to the adviser, 347 new trade unions have been registered and 44 political cases involving 48,000 workers have been withdrawn. A total of 3,453 children have been removed from labour, 11,691 inspections conducted and 16 cases filed. The government has also set up 347 child daycare centres in garment factories and provided maternity benefits totalling Taka 32.65 crore to 1,270 women workers.
More than Taka 80 crore has been distributed to 22,948 workers and their families through the Central Fund and Workers Welfare Foundation, covering medical, death and education-related assistance. Additionally, 1,755 unemployed workers have received Taka 1.57 crore funded by the European Union, while 81 individuals have received Taka 1.04 crore under the Employment Injury Scheme.
Dr Hussain highlighted that Bangladesh has now ratified ILO Conventions 155, 187 and 190, making it the only country in South Asia to have ratified all 10 fundamental ILO conventions. The country has also been elected coordinator of 45 nations in the Asia-Pacific region (ASPAG) and a memorandum of understanding on employment injury insurance has been signed with South Korea.
He said the National Occupational Health and Safety, Research and Training Institute (NOSHTRI) had been launched in Rajshahi and a new labour court established in Mymensingh, where 13,013 cases have already been settled. The government has also collected Taka 9 crore in revenue through the renewal of new and existing licences and is progressing with the formation of a new Department of Employment. Separately, 435 people have secured work through job fairs.
Dr Hussain said the achievements demonstrated the collective efforts of workers, employers and the government in building a modern, safe and globally aligned labour sector. He expressed confidence that this momentum would continue to strengthen workers’ rights, support industrial stability and contribute to Bangladesh’s economic development.
