Labour and Employment Adviser Brigadier General (Retd) Dr M Sakhawat Hossain on Saturday 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 the labour sector," he said.
The adviser said this as the chief guest while addressing a dialogue on "Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR)" jointly organized by the Centre for Migration Studies (CMS) and the Centre 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% 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.
