It denounces the compulsory quota of 30 percent of workers that is required to create a union and the fact that the government of Bangladesh has systematically ignored the recommendations of the ILO to do away with this barrier.
Workers in some professions are still prevented from joining a trade union and many trade unionists are continuously intimidated. As a consequence collective bargaining is very rare while the right to strike is not recognized by law.
The study also stresses the weak enforcement of national law regarding discrimination. National law bans only some forms of discrimination, but not all. Women and religious minorities commonly find themselves discriminated against in employment matters.
It underlines the fact that Bangladesh has not ratified the ILO convention on the minimum age for employment Children work from a very young age, frequently suffering serious injuries and even death.
The penalties in force against this practice are negligible. The report calls attention to trafficking in Bangladesh, where mainly women and children are often trafficked to neighbouring countries.
The ICFTU urges the government of Bangladesh in the report to adopt a number of recommendations in order to redress the situation of non compliance with core labour rights and standards.
INTERNATIONAL CONFEDERATION OF FREE TRADE UNIONS
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