They said development strategies like PRSP in many countries could not achieve their real goals due to lack of understanding of the actual characteristics of poverty among governments as well as international financial institutions (IFIs).

In this context, the trade unions can play a vital role in revealing the actual scenario of poverty in accordance with the PRSP implementation, they suggested.

The suggestions came at a two-day national seminar on "IFIs Poverty Reduction Programmes in Bangladesh and Trade Unions Participation: Lessons Learned and Future Action Plan" held at a city hotel.

International Confederation of Free Trade Unions-Bangladesh Council (ICFTU-BC) organised the seminar. Presided over by Abdul Matin Master, chairman of ICFTU-BC, the seminar was also addressed by M R Chowdhury, member secretary of ICFTU-BC, Nazrul Islam Khan, president of Bangladesh Jatiyadabadi Sramik Dal, Mujibur Rahman Bhuiyan, general secretary of Bangladesh Mukto Sramik Federation, and Shah Md Abu Zafar, president of Bangladesh Labour Foundation.

Noriyuki Suzuki, general secretary of ICFTU-APRO, and Syeed Ahamed, senior research associate of Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), presented two keynote papers on Globalisation, Poverty Eradication and the Role of the ICFTU-BC and Trade Union Participation in Bangladesh's Poverty Reduction Strategy respectively.

"The guidelines of PRSP for Bangladesh will not come into force without IFIs or government understanding of poverty at the grassroots level," said general secretary of ICFTU-APRO in his presentation.

Citing an example, he said, "IFIs had prescribed different strategies to reduce poverty in some developing countries in the beginning of 1999. But unfortunately, all of their prescriptions resulted in unemployment instead of poverty reduction in those countries.

"This happened, because the IFI strategies did not match with the reality of poverty at the grassroots level of the countries concerned", he added.

Referring to the Bangladesh Country Report-2005, he said there is a clear recognition of the role of trade unions in the PRSP. So the demands and concerns of trade unions should be reflected in the PRSP process, he opined.

He also suggested that the representatives of trade unions should arrange dialogue to deliberate on the prevailing poverty situation with the IFIs, who are making a role in implementing the PRSP in the country.

Meanwhile, the IFIs consider trade unions to be legitimate stakeholders groups who should be included in the PRSP process.

As per their strategy, the trade unions should have given an opportunity to examine and discuss draft PRSPs with the government so that they can put recommendations for alternative policy reforms and strategies.

Syeed Ahamed of CPD said, "The unions welcomed the notion of a participatory PRSP process. But while attempts have been made to ensure participatory process in the policy formulation part of PRSP, it is however not evident how the participation was ensured in the approval, implementation and impact assessment phase of PRSP".

Lamenting the lack of capacity both at the government and unions end, which limited the potentials of a participatory process, he said, "The effective trade unions participation in the PRSP process can hold governments and the IFIs accountable for their policy decision".