Labour and Employment Adviser Brigadier General  (retd) Dr M Sakhawat Hussain addressed a dialogue organized by North South University in Dhaka today. Photo : PID

DHAKA, March 1, 2025 (BSS) - Labour and Employment Adviser Brigadier General 
(retd) Dr M Sakhawat Hussain today laid emphasis on taking effective measures 
to protect the rights of workers and increase transparency.

"We need to take effective measures to protect the rights of workers and 
increase transparency in labour sector," he said.

The adviser said this as the chief guest while addressing a dialogue on 
"Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR)" jointly organised by the Center for 
Migration Studies (CMS) and the Center for Legal Research (CLR) of North 
South University (NSU) on its building here.

He said, "Despite the growth in the export sector, some factories are failing 
to pay wages to workers due to financial mismanagement mainly." 

Sakhawat, also the Shipping adviser, called for increasing the financial 
discipline in the ready-made garment industry aiming to ensure fair rights of 
workers.

Academics, government officials, policymakers and representatives of the 
International Labor Organization (ILO) attended the dialogue and discussed 
the ADR system in resolving labor disputes in Bangladesh and its possible 
reforms in detail.

Dr Md Rizwanul Islam, dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at 
NSU, highlighted the backlog of over 21,000 cases in Bangladesh's labor 
courts saying that 75 percent of which have exceeded the stipulated time 
frame.

"The effective implementation of the ADR system will help reduce the pressure 
of court cases, minimize legal costs and resolve disputes quickly," he added.

NSU law department lecturer Nafiz Ahmed said that voluntary cooperation of 
the stakeholders is needed to develop a well-structured ADR system compatible 
with the constitution and legal framework of Bangladesh.

Secretary to the Ministry of Labour and Employment AHM Shafiquzzaman said the 
government has decided in principle to establish an arbitration platform.

"We will discuss this initiative with the ILO next week for its effective 
implementation," he added.

Tuomo Poutiainen, country director for the ILO, Bangladesh, underscored the 
need for having effective institutions for bringing success in the ADR 
system. 

He said, "Just enacting laws is not enough. An effective labor court, an 
efficient ADR platform and a strong labor ministry are needed so that 
decisions are effectively implemented."

Dr Selim Reza, associate professor of the Department of Political Science and 
Sociology at NSU as well as CMS Coordinator, presided over the dialogue.