No owner has the right to blacklist workers: Adviser Sakhawat
A formal directive be sent to all elite social clubs, making it mandatory for them to comply with the Labour Act and to contribute 0.5% of their profits to the workers’ welfare fund
Labour and Employment Adviser Brig Gen (retd) M Sakhawat Hossain firmly declared today (19 July) that no owner has the right to blacklist any worker.
"We are working on modernising the Bangladesh Labour Act. One of our key reforms has been to ease restrictions on trade unions," he stated as the chief guest during a labour rally held in memory of fallen workers, as part of the 'July Reawakening Programme 2025', in Savar's Genda area.
"A formal decision has already been made regarding the blacklisting of workers, and we intend to keep authority over such matters within the ministry." Hossain stressed that all workplaces employing more than five individuals, including elite social clubs, must fall under the jurisdiction of the Labour Act.
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"I have instructed that a formal directive be sent to all such clubs, making it mandatory for them to comply with the Labour Act and to contribute 0.5% of their profits to the workers' welfare fund," he said.
Highlighting recent efforts to support workers, Hossain, also the shipping adviser, noted, "Over the past eight months, we have provided significant compensation to numerous affected workers. After a recent maritime accident, for instance, we gave Tk700,000 in cash compensation to each of the seven impacted workers."
"In the past, workers were beaten, disappeared, or killed during protests—yet no compensation was given. Everyone served the interests of owners," he continued. "But I want to work not just for the employers, but for the workers and their representatives as well."
He reiterated that the ministry would always be open to receiving legitimate demands but urged union leaders to act responsibly. "Please do not resort to extreme measures such as laying siege to the ministry with unreasonable demands," he said.
Commenting on factory shutdowns, he told reporters, "For example, Beximco—there are foreign entities now in talks to take over and operate the factory. If all goes well, it may resume operations."
On the issue of unemployment, he added, "No one has been made jobless without compensation. A worker's unemployment affects their entire family. That's why we are doing our best to prevent job losses."
He also condemned factory owners who defaulted on bank loans and fled the country. "Some owners took thousands of crores in loans, showed their factories as collateral, and vanished. How can industries survive when Tk37,000 crore is siphoned off from a single bank?"
"In short, we are doing everything we can within our capacity," he concluded.
The rally was presided over by AHM Shafiquzzaman, secretary of the Ministry of Labour and Employment, and attended by ministry officials, local administrators, political party representatives, labour leaders, and factory workers.
