ILO to start scheme for RMG workers' rights
A new initiative has been launched by the International Labour Organization and funded by the Swedish government to enhance workers' rights and industrial relations in Bangladesh's garment sector.
An agreement in this regard was signed in New York on Saturday on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly meeting.
Mikail Shipar, labour and employment secretary; Isabella Lövin, Swedish minister for international development cooperation, and Guy Ryder, ILO director general, signed the deal.
Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven and Bangladeshi Foreign Minister Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali attended the event.
Sweden will provide about US$5.4 million for the project "Promoting social dialogue and harmonious industrial relations in the Bangladesh readymade garment industry".
The initiative will run from November 2015 to December 2020, said an ILO statement.
The project will enhance labour relations through improved dialogue between employers and workers, particularly at workplace level.
Conciliation and arbitration mechanisms will be strengthened for a more effective and trusted system and the capacity of workers and employers will be enhanced to engage in social dialogue and collective bargaining.
Given the large presence of women in the workforce, efforts will be made to fully incorporate their interests, according to the statement.
"Sweden is proud to partner with Bangladesh and ILO in this project, especially as it focuses on a sector where 80 percent of the workers are women," said Lövin.
The project will support women's economic empowerment while improving their working conditions, she said.
The project will be implemented by ILO in collaboration with the Department of Labour of the Ministry of Labour and Employment.
It will work closely with employers and workers organisations, namely the Bangladesh Employers Federation; Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association; Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association; National Coordination Council for Workers Education; and IndustriALL Bangladesh Council.
The industry currently employs an estimated 4.2 million workers, the majority of whom are women.
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