Dhaka, February 5 2025:
Labor and Employment Advisor Brigadier General (Retd.) Dr. M. Sakhawat Hossain was met by Netherlands Special Envoy for Youth, Education and Development Jurriaan Middelholf in Bangladesh at his office at the ministry on Tuesday.
During the meeting, discussions were held on employment creation for the youth of Bangladesh, creation of new entrepreneurs, creation of skilled manpower, alternative dispute resolution, implementation of minimum wage, facilitation of trade union registration, resolution of labor dissatisfaction, amendment of labor law, implementation of workers’ rights, labor reforms, training of youth and development of RMG sector.
The advisor said that an initiative has been taken to create a new directorate named the Directorate of Employment to create employment opportunities for workers in the labor market. He said that the annual increment of workers in the garment industry has already been increased from 5% to 9%. In addition, the Labor Reform Commission is working to ensure the rights and dignified living of all (formal and informal) workers in Bangladesh.
The advisor also said that the Ministry of Labor and Employment, the Ministry of Commerce, BGMEA, Tourist Police and other law enforcement agencies are working together to resolve unrest in labor-intensive areas. The Ministry of Labor and Employment, labor representatives and the employer side are working together on amending the Bangladesh Labor Law. In this regard, the realistic opinions of the ILO, the European Union and other development partners and stakeholders are being given importance. The labor law is being amended in accordance with the opinions of all parties.
Secretary of the Ministry of Labor and Employment AHM Shafiquzzaman, senior officials of the ministry, Charge d’Affaires of the Netherlands Thijs Woudstra, First Secretary for Economic and Private Sector Development Sara van Hoeve and Program Coordinator of the Netherlands Enterprise Agency Erik Parigger were present during the meeting, among others.
