ILO's training starts in Dhaka to support workplace cooperation

The capacity of Bangladesh government to support workplace cooperation and handle grievances is set to increase through training provided by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) with the support of Sweden and Denmark.

A five-day training programme commenced in Dhaka yesterday to establish a pool of 30 master trainers comprising officials of the Department of Labour (DoL) and Industrial Relations Institutes (IRI).

The training is taking place at Amari Hotel in Dhaka.

Initial training focuses on workplace cooperation, with future sessions set to cover collective bargaining and grievance procedures, ILO said in a statement.

Once trained, these master trainers will play a crucial role to support the development of workplace cooperation plans in 34 non-unionised factories out of a group of 54 pilot factories provided by Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association and Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association.

These plans will provide a basis for the work of the participation committees in these factories, according to the statement.

By including IRI lecturers in the programme, the capacity of DoL's training arm will also be enhanced.

Gagan Rajbhandari, deputy director of ILO Bangladesh said, “This training marks an important first step in our efforts to create better social dialogue in Bangladesh.”

Enhancing the capacity of the DoL and IRI will help build a more mature industrial relations environment for Bangladesh that will benefit employers and workers alike, Rajbhandari said.

The training programme has been developed with the support of the ILO's International Training Centre.

It is the first of a series to be held by the ILO's “Improving Social Dialogue and Harmonious Industrial Relations in the Bangladesh RMG sector” project.

Launched in December 2016, in collaboration with the government of Bangladesh, the initiative aims to develop dialogue mechanisms between employers and workers as a means of preventing and constructively resolving disputes.