International Desk:
The 47 countries participating in the discussion on Bangladesh at the 356th session of the Governing Body of the International Labor Organization (ILO) have congratulated and fully supported the current democratically elected government of Bangladesh. The countries have expressed their unwavering support for the government led by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman as it assumed office with the mandate of the people through a free, fair and credible election and pledged to work on the basis of mutual cooperation.
In June 2019, five workers’ representatives of the International Trade Union Confederation filed a case under Article 26 of the organization’s constitution alleging failure to comply with ILO Conventions 81, 87 and 98. As a result of the case, the then government formulated a five-year roadmap for labor sector reforms and submitted it to the ILO’s Governing Body in 2021.
The progress made on the submitted roadmap has been discussed in eight sessions of the Governing Body in the last five years. The current government presented its ninth progress report in the discussion held today.
Representatives of all countries participating in the discussion of the case spoke in support of the current government. The 56-member Governing Body of the organization, 19 countries, 28 countries belonging to two regional groups and the employers’ side highly appreciated the new government’s commitment to strong legal and administrative reforms for the development of the labor sector and demanded the speedy resolution of the ongoing case.
Minister for Labor and Employment and Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Ariful Haque Chowdhury and Prime Minister’s Advisor on Labor, Employment and Education Mahdi Amin participated in the discussion on the case on behalf of Bangladesh. Ambassador Nahida Sobhan, Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to Geneva, and Secretary for Labor Abdur Rahman Tarafdar were present at the time.
At the beginning of the discussion, Prime Minister’s Advisor Mahdi Amin conveyed warm greetings from Prime Minister Tarique Rahman to all the Governing Body members present. He said that the need for the International Labor Organization and the Prime Minister’s personal commitment to establishing labor rights, labor protection and social justice are essential.
The Advisor said that the people of Bangladesh have given our elected government a clear mandate to run the state with a large majority. At the heart of this mandate is the election manifesto, where special importance has been given to civil rights—especially human rights, rule of law and freedom of speech—large and diverse employment creation, quality education, skill development and competency enhancement.
He also said that we are firmly committed to establishing transparency and accountability. The ILO’s Decent Work Agenda is consistent with these priorities of the government.
He informed everyone present at the session that a parliamentary special committee has been formed to convert the Bangladesh Labor Laws (Amendment) Ordinance 2025 into law. He also assured that the government will make strong efforts to expedite this process.
Stating that the government has a positive attitude towards the amendments made on the basis of tripartite discussions, he said, “We are optimistic that inclusive, sustainable and employment-based development will be possible through this.”
