Staff Reporter:
Special Envoy to the Chief Adviser for International Affairs, Lutfey Siddiqi, yesterday held a high-level meeting with top western diplomats to review the past eight months progress on labor reforms and out-line the government’s roadmap ahead.
Ambassadors and high commissioners USA, UK, Canada, European Union and ILO attended the meet-ing held at Chief Adviser’s Office (CAO) in Dhaka.
Technical experts and labor rights specialists were with the special envoy when he for the first time de-livered full summary of the government’s reform efforts since the July 2024.
“Over the past eight months, we’ve made dramatic progress,” Lutfey said.
“The ILO roadmap is not just a guide- it’s a commitment. We’re investing time, energy and goodwill to get this right both in terms of process and outcome,” he said.
He commended the personal engagement and moral authority of Labour Adviser Dr Sakhawat Hossain who spent hours with tripartite stakeholders to bring them along.
Labor Secretary AHM Shafiquzzaman said, “We are targeting July 2025 for conclusion of Labour law amendments and other substantial milestones. The process is moving fast.”
European Union Ambassador Michael Miller called the process “unprecedented,” saying, “We note that there’s been a lot of social dialogue and we appreciate the sense of urgency.”
“We look forward to seeing the draft legislation soon and track tangible improvements on the ground. Resolution of this has implications for continued access to EU markets,” he said.
US Chargé d’Affaires Tracey Ann Jacobson said, “We welcome the momentum under the current gov-ernment and would also like to see accountability for past violations.”
Canadian High Commissioner Ajit Singh added, “We appreciate the work done so far and support the ILO roadmap. This is particularly important for Bangladesh in the context of LDC graduation.”
British High Commissioner Sarah Cooke said, “Bangladesh’s LDC graduation must be backed by strong labour standards. She appreciated the seriousness with which the interim government of Bangladesh has approached this issue.”
ILO Country Director Tuomo Poutiainen remarked, “We’re very close to shaping the updated Bangla-desh Labour Act. What matters now is doing this in a way that stands the test of time and protects work-ers in the long run.”
Legislative Secretary Dr Hafiz Ahmed Chowdhury said substantial progress has been made on the issue as a team is working closely with stakeholders.
Lutfey also briefed the diplomats on earlier inter-ministerial meetings to address politically motivated cases during the previous regime, better dispute resolution mechanisms to avert logjam in courts, and the issue of insufficient capacity in inspector roles.
