Experts call for trade union rights for EPZ workers

Labour rights experts on Tuesday called for major reforms to the Bangladesh EPZ Labour Act, 2019, demanding that workers in the country's Export Processing Zones (EPZs) be granted rights equivalent to those enjoyed by workers under national labour laws, including the right to form and join trade unions.

The demand was raised at a stakeholders' meeting titled "The Opportunity to Strengthen the Legal Framework Governing Labour Relations in the Export Processing Zones", organised by the Solidarity Center Bangladesh at a city hotel.

Speakers noted that EPZs account for more than 17% of Bangladesh's exports and employ over 500,000 workers. However, workers in these zones continue to operate under a separate legal framework that does not permit independent trade unions.

Presenting the keynote paper, Solidarity Center Country Programme Director AKM Nasim said significant gaps remain in the areas of freedom of association, collective bargaining, grievance resolution and access to legal remedies under the EPZ Labour Act.

“Workers' Welfare Associations (WWAs), the only form of worker organisation allowed under the law, cannot replace independent trade unions,” he said.

According to the keynote paper, the process for forming WWAs is restrictive and lacks transparency. It also noted that Section 178 of the Act bars WWAs from engaging with NGOs, trade unions and civil society organisations outside the zones, limiting workers' access to legal support, training and solidarity.

The paper identified several areas requiring legislative reforms, including stronger protection against arbitrary termination, maternity benefits aligned with recent amendments to the Bangladesh Labour Act, improved lay-off compensation, fair disciplinary procedures and the removal of inconsistencies between the Act and its subordinate rules.

Speakers also highlighted concerns over access to justice, saying EPZ workers have fewer opportunities to appeal labour court decisions than workers covered under the Bangladesh Labour Act, 2006. They criticised the grievance resolution mechanism under the EPZ Labour Rules, 2022 as lengthy and overly complex.

Executive Director of the Bangladesh Institute of Labour Studies and former chair of the Labour Reform Commission, Syed Sultan Uddin Ahmed, stressed the importance of worker representation in labour law reforms.

“We should question who reforms the law and whose interests they represent. Any dialogue on labour reform without workers' representation is futile,” he said.

The speakers further noted that the International Labour Organization (ILO) has identified 23 provisions in the EPZ framework that are inconsistent with Convention No. 87 on Freedom of Association. They urged the government to use the current reform process under Bangladesh's 2021 ILO roadmap to align EPZ laws with international labour standards.

Neeran Ramjuthan, programme manager for the Labour Administration and Working Conditions Cluster at the ILO Bangladesh office, said the ILO supervisory bodies have long observed the need to align the EPZ framework with international labour standards, particularly regarding freedom of association and other fundamental rights.

“ILO believes strong labour standards are never a barrier to successful investment. We remain committed to supporting the government, BEPZA and social partners in promoting social dialogue and decent work,” he said.

Among others, Bangladesh Labour Foundation General Secretary Shakil Akhter Chowdhury, BGMEA Additional Secretary Rafiqul Islam, Tannery Workers' Union President Abul Kalam Azad, Bangladesh Revolutionary Garment Workers' Federation President Salahuddin Shapon and Bangladesh Garment and Industrial Workers' Federation President Babul Akter addressed the event.