A group of 30 officials from the Bangladesh Department of Labour have been trained on principles and techniques of investigation of unfair labour practices.
The training will contribute to efforts to protect workers against anti-union discrimination and unfair labour practices by building capacity to implement the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) adopted for this purpose in 2017 by the Ministry of Labour and Employment.
The five-day residential training took place July 22 to 26 and was organised by the International Labour Organization (ILO), says a press release.
The workshop was held at the BCDM Savar in Dhaka.
The officials showed a sound knowledge of the main elements of the principle of Freedom of Association and discussed relevant national legislation. They also looked at the most frequent violations and practiced the soft skills required to conduct adequate investigations.
The Director General of the Department of Labour and Additional Secretary of the Government of Bangladesh, Shib Nath Roy emphasized the relevance of the content of the training and the challenging work to be done.
“I want to stress the importance of the duties that you, investigators of unfair labour practices carry out. It is of vital importance both for the Bangladeshi workforce and employers to count on your support in order to safeguard their right to freedom of association.”
He also urged officials from the Department of Labour to better capture information while undertaking an investigation and perform with honesty, impartiality, integrity and professionalism. He underscored the need to develop various tracking and reporting formats for the Department.
Tuomo Poutiainen, Country Director of ILO Bangladesh highlighted the importance of the Standard Operating Procedures to ensuring harmonious industrial relations.
“Cases of anti-union discrimination and unfair labour practices must be dealt in a systematic and credible manner.”