Rules on amended labour law

Some serious concerns about workers' rights remain unaddressed in the amended labour rules published recently. Two years ago, in 2013, when the labour law was amended, various national and international organisations, including several trade unions, voiced their grievances, claiming that it goes against the fundamental rights of the workers.

In response, the government has made some laudable moves such as improving workers' safety, one of the most important criteria of ideal labour conditions. Experts, however, feel that much more need to be done in areas such as trade unionism, outsourcing and profit sharing by the workers. The law also does not provide for adequate compensation to workers in the event the factory shifts to a faraway location.

Reportedly, there remains a wide difference in terms of compliance between large and small companies and sub-contracting firms. That implies a lack of will as well as investment in the monitoring and evaluation of companies.

We feel that ensuring labour rights demands a radical rethink. Gaining trade privileges from the US should not be the one and only raison d'être for improving labour standards. Treating workers with dignity and paying them a decent wage are ultimately in the interests of business owners.

So far the demand for improvement of workers' conditions has come from buyers. The motivation for change has to come from within the industry. And in turn the government should play its due role in implementing the labour law.