Labour and Industrial law

The Labour law acts as a tool to promote worker empowerment as well as worker protection. It regulates individual and collective employment relations. Other relevant legislation includes Constitutional law, the civil code, the criminal code as well as the supranational ILO Conventions. 

Labour law aims to correct the imbalance of power between the worker and the employer; to prevent the employer from dismissing the worker without good cause; to set up and preserve the processes by which workers are recognized as 'equal' partners in negotiations about their working conditions etc. 

Labour law aims to prevent a race to the bottom by placing restrictions on the contracting partners’ freedom to contract on whatever terms they wish, and setting minimum standards over safety and pay.

Labour law also regulates the labour market: a country may choose to put legislation in place setting maximum or minimum limits on wages or working hours, either nationally or in particular sectors or industries.

Labour law can protect the rights of the workers

This year saw a strong workers’ movement, enactment of The Bangladesh Labour Act 2006 (Bangladesh Shromo Ain 2006) and fixation of minimum wages for the Ready Made Garment (RMG) workers. This chapter identifies the State’s commitment to promote workers’ rights under international conventions, the Constitution and national laws including the new Labour Act 2006. After a general discussion on the discrimination faced by different categories of workers in the organized and unorganized sectors and by migrant workers, it discusses the major events in the struggle of the RMG workers for their rights during the year. Finally it makes recommendations for maintaining healthy labour relations.