The government has approved proposals to make it easier for workers to form trade unions, allowing as few as 20 employees to establish a union and permitting up to five unions in a single factory.

The decisions, taken at a Tripartite Consultative Committee (TCC) meeting on August 26, aimed to align the country’s labour laws with international standards, amid ongoing debates over workers’ rights and labour reforms.

The TCC meeting, chaired by Labour and Employment Adviser M Sakhawat Hussain, brought together 20 representatives each from the government, employers, and workers to fine-tune proposals for amending the labour law.

Labour Secretary A H M Shafiquzzaman said that the revised rules would allow a minimum of 20 workers to form a union, replacing the current requirement of at least 20 per cent of a factory’s total workforce.

He said that the number of unions permitted in a factory will increase from three to five. The amendments will be incorporated into the labour law in the coming months.

Representatives from the Bangladesh Employers’ Federation (BEF) raised concerns over the new numerical threshold, arguing that reducing the requirement from a percentage of total workers to a fixed number is too low given the country’s labour demographics.

BEF President Fazlee Shamim Ehsan said that while they voiced their objections, the group was ultimately forced to accept the decision.

An owner representative also criticised the government for failing to implement broader reforms aimed at reducing corruption, lowering operational costs, and easing the overall business environment.

On the workers’ side, Sammility Garment Sramik Federation President Nazma Akter welcomed the move, saying it would simplify union formation.

However, she warned that collective bargaining would remain challenging, as it requires majority representation of the total workforce in a factory.

Labour leaders echoed concerns that achieving the required representation could be difficult in practice, potentially limiting the effectiveness of unions in negotiating workers’ rights.

The TCC decided that a majority of workers in a factory would be required for collective bargaining, which labour leaders say would be difficult to achieve.

The meeting also agreed to several other labour law amendments. Maternity leave will be extended from 112 days to 120 days, with a penalty of Tk 50,000 for violations of maternity and other related worker benefits.

Discussions were held on the definition of workers, the establishment of associations for mid-level management, and measures to address sexual harassment, violence, and forced labour.

The reforms are particularly relevant in the context of Bangladesh’s trade relations with the European Union.

On August 24, EU Ambassador Michael Miller met with the labour secretary and stressed the need to amend the labour law to sustain duty-free benefits under the GSP Plus scheme.

He said that without compliance with international labour standards, Bangladesh’s readymade garment sector could lose preferential access to the EU market following the country’s graduation from the Least Developed Country (LDC) category.

Industry insiders said that the amendments were crucial to safeguarding Bangladesh’s position in global trade while protecting workers’ rights.

They said that the new rules were expected to improve transparency in union registration, foster dialogue between workers and management, and reinforce the country’s compliance with international labour norms.

Other participants in the TCC meeting included Lutfey Siddiqi, special envoy on international affairs to the Chief Adviser, Kamran T Rahman, president of the Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI), Mohammad Hatem, president of Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA), Anwar Hossain, president of Bangladesh Jatiyotabadi Sramik Dal, Abul Kalam Azad, joint secretary of Bangladesh Trade Union Kendro, and labour leaders Razekuzzaman Ratan, Babul Akhter, and others.