Govt decides to ratify ILO’s minimum age convention for job 

The government has decided to ratify the International Labour Organisation's (ILO) minimum age convention for employment to avail the "Everything but Arms (EBA)" scheme, under which all imports to the European Union are duty-free and quota-free, with the exception of armaments.

The government took the decision on Monday at a Tripartite Consultative Council (TCC) meeting with Begum Monnujan Sufian, state minister for labour and employment, in the chair.

The decision came following a meeting between the European Union and Bangladesh in October 2019. At that meeting the European Union asked Bangladesh to make a roadmap to ratify the ILO's minimum age convention for getting duty-free market access.

The European Union accounts for 58% of Bangladesh's total exports and 64% of its total readymade garment exports.

The government took opinion from many ministries including home, foreign, shipping, health, agriculture, jute and textile, expatriates' welfare, social welfare, communication, commerce, environment and ICT for taking the decision of ratifying the convention.

Md Humayun Kabir, joint secretary (international organisation) of the labour and employment ministry, told The Business Standard that the ratification of the convention will help the country to get duty-free access in the European Union market.

"Bangladesh has already ratified seven out of eight of ILO's fundamental conventions. Ratifying the minimum age convention will be another achievement for Bangladesh," he said.

"We will send it (decision of ratifying the convention) to the law ministry for its recommendations and finally it has to be passed in the cabinet. We will sit with ILO after that," he said. 

The ILO has set eight fundamental conventions for its member countries. Five of these conventions were ratified by the government headed by Father of The Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in 1972, and two by the government led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

The eight fundamental conventions are Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention, Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention, Abolition of Forced Labour Convention, Minimum Age Convention, Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention, Equal Remuneration Convention and Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention.

A total of 173 out of 189 of the ILO members have ratified the convention. Of them, 54 countries has set the minimum age at 14 years for admission into employment, 76 countries have set 15 years and 44 countries have set 16 years.

According to the convention adopted in 1973, the minimum age for admission to any type of employment or work which is likely to jeopardise the health, safety or morals of young persons shall not be less than 18 years.

The convention also stipulates that the minimum age for employment shall not be less than the age of completion of compulsory schooling and, in any case, shall not be less than 15 years.

A country whose economy and educational facilities are insufficiently developed may, after consultation with the organisations of employers and workers concerned, initially specify a minimum age of 14 years.

This convention does not apply to work done by children and young persons in schools for general, vocational or technical education or in other training institutions.

Md Hafizur Rahman, additional secretary (director general) of World Trade Organisation Cell under the commerce ministry, told TBS that they will start discussions with the European Union representatives after sending papers from the labour and employment ministry to the ILO.

Economists said Bangladesh is required to comply with 27 international conventions, including 15 conventions related to human rights and labour standards of the ILO, to avail the GSP plus scheme in the European Union market as the existing generalised scheme of preference will end after three years of LDC graduation.

Bangladesh promises to eliminate child labour in all forms by 2025 and its worst forms by 2021 as it has set December this year to ratify ILO Convention 138 on minimum age and modify the action plan accordingly.

Khondaker Golam Moazzem, research director at Centre for Policy Dialogue, told TBS that the government's decision to ratify the ILO convention for admission into employment is a good one, but it must eliminate harassment of the labourers.

"There are also huge lack at the operational level, and the government should concentrate on it," he added.  

He also said implementing the minimum employment age as per the ILO convention will be possible in the formal sector, but it will be difficult to implement it in the informal sectors because of the socio-economic condition in the country.

Proposal to term six more jobs 'hazardous'

The Ministry of Labour and Employment placed a proposal to add six more jobs to the existing list of 38 jobs that are termed hazardous for children at the Tripartite Consultative Council meeting on Monday.

The six jobs are: domestic work, dry-fish sector jobs, street-based jobs, stone collection and crushing (brick production, stone collection, brick and stone carrying and breaking), child labour in local tailoring and clothing sectors, and in garbage picking and waste disposal.