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Worker Rights

a. The Right of Association: Bangladesh's Constitution guarantees freedom of association, the right to join unions, and, with government approval, the right to form a union.
With the exception of workers in the railway, postal, telegraph, and telephone sectors, government civil servants are forbidden to join unions. However, some workers covered by this ban have formed unregistered unions. The ban also applies to security-related government employees, such as in the military and police. Civil servants forbidden to join unions, such as teachers and nurses, have joined associations which perform functions similar to labor unions.

b. The Right to Organize and Bargain Collectively: Unions in Bangladesh are highly politicized. Virtually all the National Trade Union centers are affiliated with political parties, including one with the ruling party. Pitched battles between members of rival labor unions occur regularly. Some unions are militant and engage in intimidation and vandalism. General strikes were used successfully by the political opposition in early 1996 to pressure the government to call elections and step down. Rising political tensions again led to several general strikes during 1997 and 1998. General strikes cause economic and social disruption through lost production and, more significantly, transportation delays causing missed shipping dates for exports. Strikes
motivated by labor issues are not uncommon. Port workers' strikes and/or "slowdowns" occurred regularly in 1998, partially in reaction to a proposed private container port.

The Essential Services Ordinance permits the government to bar strikes for three months in any sector deemed "essential." Mechanisms for conciliation, arbitration and labor court dispute resolution were established under the Industrial Relations Ordinance of 1969.

There have been numerous complaints of garment workers being harassed and fired in some factories for trying to organize workers. Workers in Bangladesh's EPZs are prohibited from forming unions, though some workers have skirted the ban by setting up associations. The government has not fulfilled promises that labor law restrictions on freedom of association and formation of unions in the EPZs would be lifted in 1997.

c. Prohibition of Forced or Compulsory Labor: The constitution prohibits forced or compulsory labor. The Factories Act and the Shops and Establishments Act, both passed in 1965, set up inspection mechanisms to guard against forced labor, but resources for enforcement are scarce. Nevertheless, there is believed to be little use of forced labor, though conditions for some domestic servants resemble servitude, and some trafficked women and children work as prostitutes.

d. Minimum Age for Employment of Children: Bangladesh has laws that prohibit labor by children. The Factories Act bars children under the age of 14 from working in factories. In reality, enforcement of these rules is inadequate. According to United Nations estimates, about one third of Bangladesh's population under the age of 18 is working. In a society as poor as Bangladesh's, the extra income obtained by children, however meager, is sought after by many families.

In July 1995, Bangladesh garment exporters signed a memorandum of understanding that has virtually eliminated child labor in the garment export sector. Under the MOU, schools and a stipend program were established for displaced child workers. By November 1998, hundreds of schools serving thousands of former child workers were in operation. A system of fines and possible suspension of import/export privileges exists, and a monitoring system has been set up by the International Labor Organization.

e. Acceptable Conditions of Work: Regulations regarding minimum wages, hours of work and occupational safety and health are not strictly enforced. The legal minimum wage varies depending on occupation and industry. It is generally not enforced. The law sets a standard 48-hour workweek with one mandated day off. A 60-hour workweek, inclusive of a maximum 12 hours of overtime, is allowed. Relative to the average standard of living in Bangladesh, the average monthly wage could be described as sufficient for minimal, basic needs. The Factories Act of 1965 nominally sets occupational health and safety standards. The law is comprehensive but appears to be largely ignored by many Bangladeshi employers.