"The process requires talks to reach a consensus," said an official, who attended the meeting at the World Bank's (WB) Dhaka office. "After an intense discussion, we're about to come to a conclusion," he said.

In its meeting on Thursday, the Ministry of Law submitted to the committee the draft Trade Union Law for enterprises in the country's EPZs. But the multilateral committee, formed with representatives from the government, the WB, US labour lobby and investors, could not make the law effective.

The committee met again yesterday to settle the differences that stood in the way of introducing trade union in the exclusive economic zones.

In the last meeting, the EPZ investors sought three years for the transition allowing trade unions in their enterprises, a period the meeting decided to shorten.

The investors also advocated for incorporating a provision in the law that trade unionism will be allowed in an enterprise if two-thirds of its workers wanted the rights, while the committee decided to reduce the ratio to 51 percent.

Committee Chairman Finance Minister M Saifur Rahman said two years will be enough for the workers and employers to get acquainted with a new law.