In a move to ensure uniform labour rights across all industrial sectors, the International Labour Organisation and the Bangladesh Export Processing Zones Authority have signed a two-year action plan, aimed at removing discrepancies between labour legislation inside and outside the country’s Export Processing Zones.
Signed on Monday, the agreement seeks to harmonise EPZ regulations with the Bangladesh Labour Act and international labour standards, while also reforming internal processes within the zones to support better governance and worker protections.
‘We are working on the BLA, and we are also collaborating with BEPZA and the relevant government agencies to continue and advance the reform process and ensure everything is aligned,’ ILO Bangladesh country director Tuomo Poutiainen said at a press meet held Monday at his office in the city.
He said that this action plan would help fast-track or push forward the reforms that have been discussing for quite some time, he added.
Speaking at the event, Poutiainen expressed concern over ongoing challenges in the country’s labour migration system and called for urgent reforms to promote safer, fairer and more transparent migration practices.
He said Bangladesh needs to invest in higher-skilled migration and regular migration practices in contrast to low-skilled, irregular, or vulnerable labour migration, which is associated with issues such as unfair recruitment practices, lack of transparency, high costs, and insufficient protection for migrant workers.
Poutiainen warned that the current approach often leaves workers vulnerable to exploitation and uncertain employment conditions, undermining both individual welfare and national economic gains.
‘Labour migration must begin with proper training and full, informed consent. Migrants must know where they are going, what kind of job they are getting and what rights they have once they arrive,’ he said.
The ILO director further pointed out that successful migration requires transparent and low-cost recruitment processes, as well as stronger bilateral agreements with destination countries.
Poutiainen cautioned that significant gaps remained in the country’s migration infrastructure saying that without robust systems in place Bangladeshi workers are likely to remain trapped in cycles of precarious employment abroad.
He observed that many who come back to Bangladesh face difficulties finding suitable employment because their skills are not formally recognised and reintegration programmes remain limited.
‘Skills gained abroad are rarely certified or utilised upon return. That is a missed opportunity for the economy,’ he said.
The ILO country director also highlighted the progress Bangladesh has made, particularly in the ready-made garment sector.
He emphasised the need to extend workplace safety programmes to other non-RMG sectors to ensure broader protection for all workers.
