Labour law serves owners' interests

Instead of being protective of workers' rights, the newly passed Labour Law 2006 serves the profiteering owners' interests, said garment workers' leaders yesterday.
Yielding to the unethical influences of the owners, the government has forgotten that the role of the law is to protect workers' rights, they claimed.
They were speaking at a press conference of Bangladesh Garment Workers Unity Council (BGWUC) held at Dhaka Reporters Unity.
According to a section of the law, a worker will not be given any compensation if he/she is accused of vandalism, arson, riot or unruly behaviour in the factory, said Salauddin Shapon, secretary general of the organisation.
“We fear that the owners will abuse the section of the law to deprive workers of their dues and harass them with criminal cases,” he said.
He went on to criticise other sections of the law that afford owners the leverage to dismiss workers from factories.
He added that there was a “dark section in the law that allows termination of workers without any specific reason or fault.”
BGWUC urged the government to immediately scrap the anti-worker sections and sub-sections from the law and amend it at the next parliamentary session.
An amendment of the law will not only protect workers' interests but also ensure future development of the industry, they said.