'Implement ILO Convention to redress grievances'

They also called on the authorities to extend the right to trade union to the workers in order to build a harmonious relationship between the employers and the workers.

Proper implementation of the ILO Convention can redress all the grievances of the workers, they said.

Bangladesh National Women Lawyers' Association organised the roundtable at the Women Volunteers' Association auditorium in the city.

The speakers suggested amendment to and strict enforcement of the existing laws regarding the garment sector, restructuring the labour ministry, monitoring and publishing quarterly reports on the status and condition of garment workers.

They also urged the government to create a win-win situation for both the garment workers and owners through negotiations.

The garment industry has flourished over the years at the expense of workers and it is time to give them their due share of profit earned from the sector, said BNWLA Executive Director Advocate Salma Ali.

Fawzia Karim Firoze, immediate past-president of the BNWLA, said that despite the image crisis of trade unions in Bangladesh, workers' right to association in the workplace should not be undermined as trade unions can play a productive role by solving problems through negotiations.

Mamtaz Uddin, general secretary of Textile and Garment Workers' Federation, said the garment workers would continue their movement unitedly until their demands are met.

Nasimul Hasan, legal advisor of INCIDIN, Bangladesh, Md Towhidur Rahman, president of Bangladesh Apparel Workers' Federation, Sirajul Islam Rony, president of Bangladesh National Garments Workers-Employees League, and Asma Parvin of Oxfam also spoke.