Commerce minister Tofail Ahmed on Thursday ruled out any possibility of bringing about further changes in the latest amended EPZ Act (2014) to ensure traditional trade union activities in the factories running inside the country’s export processing zones.
‘We have already initiated a process of bringing about necessary changes in the existing EPZ law in the light of the amended act to ensure workers’ rights. No further changes will be made in this regard,’ Tofail told reporters at a media briefing at his ministry.
He briefed the press on the outcome of the recent meeting on ‘Staying Engaged : Bangladesh Sustainability Compact’ held this past week in Brussels to review the progress so far made in the country’s readymade garment industry. A delegation led by the commerce minister attended the meeting.
Currently, trade unionism is allowed in the form of workers’ welfare association and they are working as collective bargaining agents in the EPZs, the minister said, adding that the EPZs workers had been enjoying their lawful rights through the WWAs.
There was no provision of trade union activities when the EPZs were established in the country, Tofail said, explaining that if traditional trade union is allowed inside the EPZs, the investors would leave from the zones leading to jobless of millions of workers.
‘If it happens, millions of workers will be jobless,’ he said.
The minister also mentioned that WWAs were formed in some 217 factories out of 400 in all EPZs, while the provision of blacklisting factory workers inside EPZs had been withdrawn.
Tofail Ahmed further said that the Compact signatories, who were largely European buyers, have agreed with the changes so far brought by the government on trade unionism and have not demanded any further modification in this regard.
Replying to a question about the formation of rules to implement the labour law, he said the just concluded Compact’s meeting also pressed for speedy formulation of the rules, and we are serious about doing the needful in this regard the soonest possible time.
‘We promised them that the rules will be finalised within the shortest possible time, but we did not pledged any deadline,’ Tofail said.
European Commissioner László Andor in the review meeting in Brussels, pressed for urgent formulation of necessary rules to ensure effective enforcement of the Bangladesh labour law with attention to particular issues including better guarantees for freedom of association, protection of workers and trade unions from intimidation or discrimination, and ensuring that all workers have the same rights, including those working in the Export Processing Zones.
Quoting the European Commissioner for Employment and Social Affairs, the minister said that he (the EC Commissioner) had expressed his satisfaction over the progresses including the amendment of the labour law and a rise in the registration of trade unions in the garment factories.
Terming the meeting ‘very successful’, the minister said that the Compact signatories including the EU had assured of their continuous support to upgrade the RMG sector.
The ministry has already published a publicly-accessible database on the garment factories, including inspection reports.
Bangladesh in July last year signed a deal with the EU after the Rana Plaza collapse. Later the US joined the initiative. Bangladesh pledged to improve labour rights and health and safety conditions for workers as well as to encourage responsible behaviour by businesses in the RMG industry within a specific period.
The next review of the Compact will be held in 2015.
-With New Age input
