The government issued an ordinance to amend the labour law in the third week of November. Less than two months later, the Ministry of Labour and Employment has begun considering further amendments. A TCC meeting was scheduled yesterday, Wednesday, to discuss which sections need revision, but the ministry suddenly postponed it on Tuesday, citing “unavoidable reasons.”

Workers’ leaders welcomed the labour law amendment, as various demands—including trade union registration with the consent of 20 workers—were implemented with consensus.

However, after the ordinance was issued, leaders of the three owners’ organisations—BGMEA, BKMEA, and BTMA—officially rejected it. Later, the Bangladesh Employers Federation (BEF) identified 17 inconsistencies and called for amendments.

Several workers’ leaders told Prothom Alo that the government is rushing to amend the labour law under pressure from the owners, which explains the sudden TCC meeting. So far, there have been no implementation issues with the amended labour law.

Meanwhile, owners’ leaders claim that the government has deviated from several decisions taken with full consensus in the TCC meeting. They also say the issued ordinance contains multiple inconsistencies. If these are not corrected, they are considering legal action.