Shahidul’s Death: ILO, US call for thorough investigation

The International Labour Organization (ILO) and the US want an independent investigation into the recent killing of labour leader Shahidul Islam in Gazipur.

"We call for a thorough and independent investigation and for the protection and advancement of union leaders' human and labour rights," said the Bureau of International Labour Affairs in a tweet on Thursday.

The tweet condemned the murder of Shahidul, 50, president of Gazipur unit of Bangladesh Garment and Industrial Workers Federation, who was beaten to death right after he left a meeting at a factory where he had been negotiating to get its workers their arrears on the night of June 25.

In a separate statement, the ILO on Friday encouraged the authorities to do their utmost to bring those responsible for this crime to justice and to ensure a peaceful industrial relations environment for workers and employers to engage in joint problem-solving.