Government takes initiative to amend labour law again amid owners’ objections

The government issued an ordinance to amend the labour law in the third week of November. Less than two months later, the Ministry of Labour and Employment has begun considering further amendments. A TCC meeting was scheduled yesterday, Wednesday, to discuss which sections need revision, but the ministry suddenly postponed it on Tuesday, citing “unavoidable reasons.”

Workers’ leaders welcomed the labour law amendment, as various demands—including trade union registration with the consent of 20 workers—were implemented with consensus.

However, after the ordinance was issued, leaders of the three owners’ organisations—BGMEA, BKMEA, and BTMA—officially rejected it. Later, the Bangladesh Employers Federation (BEF) identified 17 inconsistencies and called for amendments.

Several workers’ leaders told Prothom Alo that the government is rushing to amend the labour law under pressure from the owners, which explains the sudden TCC meeting. So far, there have been no implementation issues with the amended labour law.

Meanwhile, owners’ leaders claim that the government has deviated from several decisions taken with full consensus in the TCC meeting. They also say the issued ordinance contains multiple inconsistencies. If these are not corrected, they are considering legal action.

When asked whether the government will amend the labour law again, the Ministry of Labour and Employment adviser, Brigadier General (retd.) M Sakhawat Hossain, told Prothom Alo yesterday, “We will hold a TCC meeting on this matter. I will not comment before that.”

The government issued the Labour Law (Amendment) Ordinance–2025 on 17 November. It clarified the definition of workers, replaced the word “female” with “woman,” granted domestic workers the right to organise, allowed trade union registration with the consent of 20 workers, made the future fund mandatory in establishments with 100 workers, extended maternity leave from 112 days to 120 days, and increased annual festival leave from 11 days to 13 days.

The amended law also stated that the minimum wage for workers in sectors such as ready-made garments, tanneries, and pharmaceuticals will be revised every three years instead of five.

Leaders of BGMEA, BKMEA, and BTMA objected to three provisions in the amended law: first, redefining workers to include officers and staff; second, allowing trade union registration with consent from 20 workers; and third, making the future fund mandatory in establishments with 100 workers. Owners allege that in all three cases, the TCC decisions were bypassed, although no formal complaint has been submitted to the ministry.

Two leaders from BTMA and BKMEA, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that owners will file a writ petition in the High Court if the government does not take steps to amend the labour law again.

BKMEA president Mohammad Hatem told Prothom Alo, “In the labour law amendment, the decisions of the three parties—owners, workers, and government—have been mysteriously overturned. This has undermined our trust in the Ministry of Labour. They are creating confusion. The way the labour law has been amended will create worker unrest and put industries in crisis."

Najma Akter, general secretary of Bangladesh Labour Congress, said, “If problems arise during the implementation of the amended labour law, questions on amendments may come up. We do not understand why the government wants to start discussions on amendments before that. Despite our dissatisfaction, we have accepted the amended labour law. If there is a need for discussion, it should happen under the next government.”

The tripartite consultative council (TCC) plays a crucial role in finalising amendments to the labour law. On 7 January, the Ministry of Labour issued a notice calling the 92nd TCC meeting for 14 January (yesterday).

The meeting agenda included three issues: first, approval of the minutes of previous meetings and review of progress in implementing decisions; second, discussion on necessary revisions to the Labour Law (Amendment) Ordinance; and third, creation of a central fund for foreign oil and gas companies.

It is reported that on Tuesday, 11 leaders met at the Shrama Bhaban to discuss the workers’ stance on the labour law amendments and the central fund for foreign oil and gas companies. After discussion, the workers’ leaders decided that two agenda items were against workers’ interests and that they would not discuss them. If necessary, they suggested holding the meeting after the national parliamentary elections. Immediately after this, the ministry decided to postpone the TCC meeting.

Bangladesh Garments and Industrial Workers Federation general secretary Babul Akhtar said, “There has been no implementation since the issuance of the labour law amendment ordinance. Why amend it within six months? We want to see the implementation of the amended law. If changes are needed, the discussion should cover the entire law.”

Babul Akhtar added, “During the tenure of the ousted Awami League government, the law was amended after discussion on the 101 clauses. We still have objections to many other clauses.”