BKMEA sounds alarm over labour law ‘ambiguities’

The Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA) on Saturday urged the government to remove what it described as “ambiguities” in the newly passed Labour (Amendment) Bill 2026, warning that unresolved legal grey areas could trigger fresh unrest in the country’s readymade garment sector and undermine investor confidence.
Welcoming the passage of the bill in parliament, BKMEA said certain provisions of the law still require immediate clarification to ensure stability in the country’s largest export-earning industry.
In a statement, BKMEA President Mohammad Hatem thanked the government for enacting the legislation but expressed concern that some clauses were reportedly incorporated under the influence of international organisations during the previous interim administration without full consensus from the Tripartite Consultative Committee.
The association cautioned that such legal ambiguities could create confusion on the factory floor, fuel labour disputes, and damage Bangladesh’s reputation among international buyers at a time when the sector is already facing rising cost pressures and intense global competition.
It also warned that prolonged uncertainty in the legal framework may discourage both local and foreign investment and negatively affect the country’s ease of doing business.
BKMEA urged the authorities to address the contentious provisions through subsequent amendments to the labour rules and the law itself in order to ensure a stable, predictable, and production-friendly environment for the industry.
While welcoming the inclusion of blacklisting workers as an unfair labour practice, the association called for what it termed a more balanced enforcement framework to preserve industrial discipline.
It demanded stricter legal provisions against acts such as vandalism, arson, illegal strikes, obstruction of genuine workers from performing their duties, and the hostage-taking of factory officials, arguing that such offences should also be categorised as unfair labour practices because of their direct impact on production and workers’ livelihoods.
The association also called on international stakeholders involved in the labour reform process to ensure that global apparel buyers pay fair and ethical prices to Bangladeshi suppliers.
Mohammad Hatem warned that unless buyer pricing practices are closely monitored, the financial burden of compliance and reform would continue to fall on local manufacturers and workers, potentially diluting the intended benefits of the new law.