ILO, GIZ partner to strengthen effectiveness and inclusivity of trade unions in Bangladesh

29 February 2024; DHAKA (ILO News) - The International Labour Organization (ILO) and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development today launched a project aimed at deepening and strengthening the effectiveness of workers’ organisations, as well as increasing the participation of women and youth in trade unions.
 

While Bangladesh has more than 9,000 enterprise-level trade unions, data from the country’s Department of Labour indicates that these unions represent only 5.1% of the country’s workers.

The trade unions are organised into sectoral workers’ federations (more than 190), which are further clustered into 37 national federations. There is however no overarching national confederation of trade unions through which workers can share information and experiences and collaborate synergistically to advance workers’ rights.

“Strengthening workers’ organisations and ensuring that trade unions speak with one voice is key to entrenching and protecting workers’ rights and improving working conditions in Bangladesh,” said ILO’s Neeran Ramjuthan. “Empowered, inclusive workers’ organisations are also critical for effective social dialogue and harmonious industrial relations, which are necessary for sustainable business growth and competitiveness in the post-LDC Bangladesh.”

The project titled Support for effective and inclusive trade unions in Bangladesh aims to revitalize trade unions to become strong, democratic, representative entities working to advance the rights of the Bangladeshi workers, with an emphasis on increasing women’s participation in trade unionism and promoting youth leadership.

A 2009 study undertaken by the Bangladesh Institute of Labour Studies (BILS) found that the average rate of female participation in 17 selected trade union federations was about 15%, while the representation of women at decision-making levels within trade unions was 7%.

“With Bangladesh moving towards Industrial Revolution 4.0, it is pertinent that all significant parties evolve to meet the increasing demands of this development. Fostering a more inclusive leadership structure which actively welcomes women representation and participation from the youth could not only improve social dialogue and bargaining dynamics, but also place the Bangladesh RMG sector in a positive position globally,” said Dr. Christian Bochmann, GIZ’s Commission Manager for Higher Education and Leadership Development for Sustainable Textiles in Bangladesh (HELD).

The project will be implemented by the Bangladesh Institute of Labour Studies (BILS) and the Workers Resource Centre (WRC), both important voices on labour rights in the country. BILS is the apex labour institute in Bangladesh and is associated with 12 national trade union federations.

WRC is a joint resource platform of the National Coordination Committee for Workers’ Education (NCCWE) and the IndustriALL Bangladesh Council (IBC), which provides information and education, promotes social dialogue and non-litigious dispute prevention and resolution.

“BILS is committed to building a just and democratic society by empowering workers' organizations to effectively play their role. This is often undermined by the lack of awareness and knowledge of national and international legal rights and standards, as well as a poor understanding of social protection and the importance of acting collectively,” said Noor Kutub Alam Mannan, a member of the BILS Advisory Council.

A Project Steering Committee (PSC) comprising five members has been established at BILS. Consultations with the leaders of the National Trade Union Centre (NTUC) have identified 45 youth and women trade union leaders to be equipped with office management, IT, financial management, and communication skills.

“The Women's Committee at WRC convened two policy group meetings in November and December 2023 bringing together national and sectoral women trade union leaders to sharpen the WRC 2024 workplan,” said Md. Shakil Akhter Chowdhury, Chairperson of the WRC sustainability subcommittee.

As a result, four key areas of work were prioritized: promoting and developing women's leadership; advocating and ensuring better working environments; gender sensitization in the world of work; and capacity-building for existing and potential women and young leaders on the fundamental labour conventions and standards, both national and international.

WRC has identified 108 local level trainers who after receiving refresher's training, will be responsible for conducting training for enterprise union leaderships.