Labour law amendment to deprive many employees of protections: Experts

The latest amendment to the labour law has sparked concern among experts and labour leaders, who warn that key provisions introduced during the interim government have been rolled back, potentially depriving many employees of benefits and protections.

The Labour (Amendment) Bill 2026, passed in the parliament on Thursday, has removed provisions that had brought officials and employees under the definition of workers, raising concerns that many will now be excluded from benefits such as gratuity, provident fund and other service entitlements.

The bill was passed in parliament by voice vote after being placed by State Minister for Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Md Nurul Haque on behalf of Labour and Employment Minister Ariful Haque Chowdhury.

The earlier amendment had been introduced through an ordinance issued on 17 November 2025 by the interim government.

Experts said the removal of officials and employees from the worker definition would leave many without access to benefits guaranteed under the labour law. They also noted that the new amendment modifies a previous provision that stated workers could not be blacklisted, replacing it with a clause that workers cannot be "unfairly blacklisted."

In addition, several fundamental rights of trade unions and collective bargaining agents have been curtailed, including their ability to file cases in court or represent workers in certain forums. Provisions related to the formation of provident funds have also been made stricter, according to experts.

Syed Sultan Uddin Ahmed, chairman of the Labour Reform Committee during the interim government, told TBS that the changes do not align with earlier commitments. "Several agreed provisions from the tripartite committee have not been included in the new amendment," he said.

He added that the committee had recommended including officials and employees under the labour law framework so they could access service benefits similar to workers. "Now these people will be deprived," he said.

Criticising the changes, Nazma Akhter, general secretary of Bangladesh Labour Congress, said the decision to exclude officials and employees is not justified. "After working for 10 to 15 years or more, they receive no benefits beyond salary. The previous inclusion should not have been withdrawn," she said, urging reconsideration.

She also opposed the revised clause on blacklisting, arguing that the issue concerns workers' rights rather than questions of fairness. "Blacklisting itself deprives workers of their rights," she said.

Nazma further warned that limiting the authority of collective bargaining agents undermines workers' representation and violates Bangladesh's commitments under international labour standards. "This is a violation of Bangladesh's commitments to the ILO Convention."

TBS attempted to contact M Humayun Kabir, additional secretary at the Ministry of Labour and Employment, for comment. However, he did not answer the call, and there was no response to a text message detailing the enquiries by the time of publication.

BKMEA hails the move

The amendment comes after the Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association called for the removal of officials and employees from the worker definition, among other demands.

The organisation welcomed the passage of the bill, stating that earlier changes introduced ambiguity and could have created unrest in the industrial sector. It also warned that such provisions risked sending negative signals to foreign buyers.