Labour union leaders yesterday suggested that the government amend the labour law, easing the condition of a 20 percent workers' participation threshold to only 20 workers to facilitate freedom of association.

Currently, 20 percent of workers' signatures are required to form a union in factories under the labour law, said Nazma Akter, president of Sammilito Garment Sramik Federation, after a meeting.

But the union leaders demanded only 20 workers' signatures instead of 20 percent, said a union leader after the second tripartite consultative committee meeting held at the Bangladesh Secretariat in Dhaka.

Currently, 20 percent of workers' signatures are required to form a union in factories under the labour law

The factory owners agreed to reduce the threshold to 10 percent from 20 percent, in tune with demands from international communities, including the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the European Union (EU).

The tripartite consultative committee members include representatives of the government, factory owners, and union leaders.

The discussion was held on proposed amendments to the labour law, as the government has a target to amend the law by March of this year.

At the meeting, the union leaders also demanded that workers be eligible for a basic salary of one month (30 days) when they resign after serving for one year, not 10 years.

Currently, a worker is given 14 days' basic salary when they leave or resign from the job once they have served there for five years in a row.

If any worker leaves or resigns from his or her job even a day before the completion of 10 years' tenure, they are given 14 days' basic salary with other benefits.

The workers' representatives also demanded that the government offer maternity leave to female workers for six months with full payment.

The international community has been putting pressure on the government also for ensuring uniform labour laws for factories both inside and outside export processing zones (EPZs).

ANM Saifuddin, a representative of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) and a tripartite consultative committee member, was present at the meeting.

After the meeting, he said the tripartite consultative committee has been working on 101 issues related to labour law and the committee was able to reach a consensus to reduce the number of proposals from more than 300.

He said the owners have agreed to reduce the threshold to 15 percent, although some of the union leaders at the meeting suggested a 10 percent threshold as per the ILO recommendations.

The reduction of the threshold was a commitment of the owners and, before the amendment of the labour law in 2018, the threshold was 30 percent. It was then slashed to 20 percent, and now 15 percent is being proposed, Saifuddin said.

Regarding maternity leave, the BGMEA representative also said it was initially 112 days, but after consultations, the number of days was increased to 120.

Labour and Employment Secretary AHM Shafiquzzaman, who chaired the meeting, said the tripartite consultative committee was able to reach consensus on 79 out of 101 amendment proposals for the Bangladesh labour act.

Now, the tripartite consultative committee members are arguing over 22 proposals, and it is expected that they will be able to reach a consensus in the third meeting to be held on January 29.

The government's target is to create a labour law of international standard as per the guidelines and recommendations of the ILO, the labour secretary also said.

Earlier, the Sheikh Hasina-led government amended the labour law, and it was sent to the country's president for his approval.

President Mohammed Shahabuddin did not sign the "Bangladesh Labour (Amendment) Bill-2023" and sent it back to parliament for reconsideration, mainly because it was not of international standard and under pressure from international communities.

Bangladesh, at the 352nd session of the ILO Governing Body, held from October 28 to November 7 last year in Geneva, committed to amending its labour law by March this year to align it with international standards.

Last week, the interim government formed a tripartite consultative committee to discuss and make recommendations on issues in the industrial sector.

The 60-member committee—comprising 20 members from the government, 20 factory owners, and 20 union leaders—will hold meetings twice a year, the Ministry of Labour and Employment announced in a circular on January 12.

According to the circular, the tripartite consultative committee will consult with relevant stakeholders to resolve problems in the industrial sector.