From Bangladesh to Bangkok: journey with ILO at the LLRN7 Conference

Earlier this year, I received the honour of being selected by the International Labour Organization (ILO) as a member of its Labour Law Exchange and Action Programme (LEAP), an initiative to strengthen labour law dialogue, research, and reform in Bangladesh. From more than 100 applicants and after two rounds of rigorous assessment, I was chosen as part of the national cohort for my experience in employee and industrial relations, particularly within Bangladesh's fast-evolving private sector.

As part of this opportunity, I was sponsored by the ILO to attend the 7th Labour Law Research Network (LLRN) Conference in Bangkok from June 28 to July 2, 2025. And what I encountered there - through voices, research, and reflection - reshaped how I see the present and future of labour rights, not just in Bangladesh, but across a climate-challenged, inequality-stricken world.

The LLRN conference brought together some of the brightest legal minds, scholars, researchers, and practitioners from around the world. For me, it was both humbling and energising to find myself at this table, representing Bangladesh, and even more so, representing the everyday worker whose voice often gets lost in policy.

My journey at LLRN7 began with a side session hosted by ILO Bangladesh titled: 'Labour Lawyers Networking: Strengthening Professionalism and Serving Society'. The session featured a panel of remarkable experts, including Dr Elena Gerasimova, Dr Izabela Florczak, Jeffrey Vogt, and Prof. Rick Bales, moderated by Chayanich Thamparipattra. Their insights were profound yet practical: "Networks don't need big budgets, they need big commitment." "Start small. Share ownership. Create lasting impact." "Collaboration across stakeholders enriches law, practice, and purpose." This session ignited a mission within me: to use my platform as a LEAP Fellow to foster a participatory labour law culture in Bangladesh.

Throughout the conference, I attended multiple academic sessions that expanded my worldview. But few papers stood out because they spoke directly to the present and future of labour in Bangladesh. The first focused on Labour Dispute Resolution, and how social, political, and economic contexts shape the effectiveness of those mechanisms. We explored how in many developing countries, formal dispute resolution systems are structurally weak, under-resourced, or heavily politicised. These conversations made me reflect deeply on the situation in Bangladesh, where even though legal frameworks exist, access, enforcement, and awareness remain serious barriers for workers.

The second session explored labour rights in the age of ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) and corporate accountability. Here, we questioned the effectiveness of voluntary corporate social responsibility (CSR) codes in comparison to mandatory accountability regimes. One takeaway was especially clear: human rights due diligence must go beyond checklists and become legally binding for global corporations. This is especially important for Bangladesh, where export-oriented industries often absorb the cost of compliance without receiving adequate support or protection.

The climate crisis has become an invisible labour issue. Several papers I engaged with focused on how ecological transition is reshaping the world of work. The paper titled 'Green Construction, Rising Risks' emphasised that in Spain and the Netherlands, "circular economy" efforts - recycling materials and sustainable demolition - are exposing workers to dust, chemicals, and rising heat stress. In Bangladesh, our construction workers face the same hazards, without climate-sensitive safety policies or protections. Heatwaves don't come with rest breaks.

Another paper titled 'Collective Bargaining Against Heat Stress' highlighted that global union leaders in the West are pushing "heat clauses" into collective agreements, mandating hydration, rest, and stoppage in unsafe heat. In Chattogram or Dhaka, workers toil in 40+°C heat. There are no legal protections if they collapse, overheat, or faint.

We are a climate-vulnerable, labour-intensive nation. From RMG workers in Gazipur to dockworkers in Chattogram, our economy runs on sweat and resolve. But laws haven't caught up with the heat, the pollution, or the pressure of modern industry. Whether it's extreme heat, rising pollution, or automated upgrades, workers remain on the receiving end of decisions made without them. Green compliance is often externally enforced by global buyers, not nationally owned or democratically negotiated. Collective bargaining remains rare. Informal workers are invisible in policy discourse. And our OSH framework lacks even basic climate-linked provisions.

It is no longer enough to talk only about sustainability. We must talk about workplace justice and sustainability. Labour law is more than a legal code. It is a moral code, measured not just in compliance, but in dignity, safety, and shared power. A vision for a labour law ecosystem that is just, climate-conscious, inclusive, and future-ready is an urgent need for Bangladesh now.

As a LEAP Fellow, my responsibility now is to bring these lessons home - to help shape dialogue, improve legal literacy, and push for reform that truly protects workers in our own national context. It is now my mission to mentor the next generation of industrial relations professionals, integrating international labour standards into Bangladesh's legal and HR curriculum. I also envision engaging with educational institutions and grassroots organisations to mainstream labour law awareness, particularly among women and informal workers who remain structurally excluded from formal protection. I aim to facilitate tripartite dialogues involving employers, workers' groups, and the government. I am already working on ideas to strengthen dispute resolution mechanisms in private industry through training and proactive HR engagement, to mainstream gender and informal sector inclusion into labour law conversations so that the most vulnerable voices are heard. The path to fair work and industrial peace does not lie in imitation of foreign models, but in shaping Bangladesh's own labour law evolution, informed by global lessons but rooted in local realities.

This experience has taught me that labour law is about human dignity. It is about making sure that the young woman sewing garments in Gazipur, or the port worker offloading containers in Chattogram, has access to justice, to a voice, and to a fair workplace. I may have represented Bangladesh on a global platform, but I carry a responsibility far greater now. My journey with ILO LEAP and LLRN is just beginning, and I hope it inspires others, especially young professionals, to see labour law not just as a career, but as a calling to build a fairer society.

The author is a Barrister, HR Senior Specialist (Employee Relations) at Red Sea Gateway Terminal, Bangladesh, Assistant Professor (Adjunct) at Bangladesh University of Professionals, and an ILO LEAP Fellow.