The interim government of Bangladesh has decided to lower the threshold of workers required to register a trade union by a fourth.

The construction of an export processing zone (EPZ) in Patuakhali will begin soon after all land acquisition costs are cleared within the next one month or so, according to project officials.

Visiting officials of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) yesterday sought the views of union leaders from different economic sectors on the labour situation in Bangladesh across six major areas.

50 people are injured while rushing out of RMG factories in EPZ and Oxygen areas and four buildings tilted in Chittagong after a 6.9 magnitude earthquake struck Myanmar.

The cabinet yesterday finally gave the nod to the draft Bangladesh EPZ Labour Law 2016, with provisions for forming legal trade unions in factories inside of the Export Processing Zones (EPZ).

Cabinet gives final approval to the draft of the ‘The Bangladesh EPZ Labour Law, 2016’ keeping a provision for constituting labour organisations in the Export Processing Zones (EPZs) as well as forming a permanent wage board for their workers.

Areas where further progress was needed are labour organisation in EPZ, negative publicity regarding harassment of NGOs and labour unions, and lack of data and transparency on factory inspections.