Advancing Decent Work in Bangladesh.

Bangladesh finds itself at a critical development juncture as it approaches graduation from Least Developed Country (LDC) status in 2026. Achieving sustainable growth and promoting inclusive human development requires prioritizing the development of accountable labour market governance institutions and laws in line with International Labour Standards, alongside creating an economically enabling environment that supports decent work. Despite notable progress since the Rana Plaza tragedy in April 2013, decent work challenges persist in the form of weak legislative frameworks, ineffective labour inspection, and continued lack of Freedom of Association (FoA) and Collective Bargaining (CB) rights. National and limited sector tripartite institutions for social dialogue contribute to these challenges. On the enterprise level, low trade union density and workers' voice and representation, limited labour market mobility for women, gender discrepancies in education outcomes and pay gaps, and levels of child labour, including hazardous child labour, are significant obstacles. Failing to address these issues would have implications for Bangladesh's global competitiveness, including hindering international trade and investments. Notably, there is a risk of losing preferential market access to export destinations, including the EU, which accounts for 58 percent of Bangladesh's total exports. This would impede job creation and export diversification which would be detrimental to Bangladesh as one of the world's most densely populated countries with 94% of its population below the age of 65. These challenges are further amplified for both youth and women with limited access and participation in the labour force (women 36.3% and youth 31.7%). These challenges were raised in an Article 26 Complaint of non-observance of ratified ILO Conventions by delegates to the International Labour Conference in 2019. As a result, the Government of Bangladesh (GoB) has committed to labour sector reform through the development of an ILO Governing Body (GB) Roadmap (2021-2026). As per the outcome of 9th session of the EU-Bangladesh Joint Commission linked to Everything But Arms (EBA) trade preference, GoB is also committed to the National Action Plan for the Labour Sector (2021-2026). These two plans are mutually reinforcing and complementary, with priorities around labour law reform, trade union registration, labour inspection, labour courts, anti-union discrimination, unfair labour practices, violence and harassment against workers, and worker's complaint systems. The NAP includes three additional topics; Industrial safety, forced labour and child labour. The plans are implemented in the country’s broader socio-economic context, which most prominently include continued effects of the Covid-19 pandemic and the global fiscal crisis which has resulted in a weak micro-economic recovery in Bangladesh, risking increasing levels of poverty, increased child labour and the general decline of decent work. The project “Advancing Decent Work in Bangladesh” is a comprehensive and coordinated joint response by ILO, the Government of Bangladesh (GoB) and worker’s and employer’s organisations to advance labour reforms and support decent work as expressed in national development frameworks, including the 8th Five Year Plan (FYP), EU National Action Plan (2021-2026), GB Roadmap (2021-2026), and the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework 2022-2026 (UNSDCF) in support of LDC graduation and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals 2030 (SDG) targets. The project ambition is to contribute to the following overall development objective:

Project symbol

BGD/24/50/EUR

Admin unit

CO-Dhaka

Start date

01/05/2024

End date

30/09/2027

Total allocation

6071911

Total expenditure

Status

Active

2691314

Development Partners

Delegation of the European Union to Bangladesh

Country/Countries

Bangladesh

Outcomes

Outcome 2: Strong, representative and influential tripartite constituents and effective social dialogue
Outcome 6: Protection at work for all
Outcome 4: Sustainable enterprises for inclusive growth and decent work
Outcome 5: Gender equality and equality of treatment and opportunities for all
Outcome 1: Strong, modernized normative action for social justice