Dhaka 25 January 2025:
Advisor to the Ministry of Labor and Employment and Shipping of the Interim Government, Brigadier General (Retd) Dr. M Sakhawat Hossain, in his chief guest speech, said that we are grateful for the continuous support of our partners from the International Labor Organization (ILO) and their cooperation is essential to strengthen Bangladesh’s labor sector.
The advisor said at a workshop titled ‘Understanding Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) and Developing the Draft Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for Arbitration in Industrial Dispute Settlement’ organized at Dhali Amber Niwas in Munshiganj today that an effective dispute resolution system is very important in the labor sector. A draft Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) will be developed through today’s workshop and it will serve as an important step in resolving labor disputes. The Bangladesh Labour Act (BLA) has laid the foundation for ADR and structural reforms are needed to reduce the pressure on the labour courts.
In addition, Secretary of the Ministry of Labour and Employment, AHM Shafiquzzaman, said at the workshop, “We acknowledge that challenges remain in the effective implementation of the ADR mechanism. Some of the key challenges include lack of awareness about ADR benefits, limited capacity of relevant institutions and lack of a standardized approach for ADR. To address these challenges, a concerted effort is required from all stakeholders including the government, workers, employers and development partners.”
Director General of the Department of Labour, Fahmida Akhtar, NDC, Inspector General of the Department of Factories and Establishments Inspection, Omar Md. Imrul Mohsin and senior officials of the Ministry of Labour and Employment were present at the event.
