2016

1. Disabled students meet young Sri Lankan cricket stars

   1 February 2016

   A group of differently-abled students from Bangladesh had the chance to meet with the Sri Lanka under 19 cricket team in Dhaka on 1 February 2016. The event was organized by the International Labour Organization, which is working with the PFDA Vocational Training Centre to help provide training and support so that its students can learn the skills that will help them enter the workforce. The groups met at the Le Meriden Dhaka Hotel, which is hosting the teams and also kindly supported the student visit.

2. Joint Conclusion Adopted at the Second Implementation Follow-up Meeting of Bangladesh Sustainability Compact

   28 January 2016

   The second follow-up meeting of Bangladesh Sustainability Compact took place in Dhaka on 28 January 2016. At the meeting the EU, US, Canada, Government of Bangladesh and the International Labour Organisation (ILO) reviewed progress achieved since October 2014 and discussed future prospects. The parties also welcomed Canada as a new partner to the Compact. A joint conclusion was adopted at the second meeting.

3. Bangladesh Sustainability Compact: Second Implementation Follow-up Meeting

   28 January 2016

   The second follow-up meeting of Bangladesh Sustainability Compact will be hosted by the Government of Bangladesh. It will aim to take stock of the progress achieved since October 2014 and look into the future prospects. It will bring together all Compact partners and offer a session for interested stakeholders.

2015

1. Tripartite study tour on Employment Injury Compensation schemes to Cambodia and Malaysia

   17 - 24 November 2015

   The study tour will allow stakeholders from government, employers’ and workers’ organizations to visit institutions and meet counterparts to discuss issues relating to the establishment of an Employee Injury Insurance scheme in Bangladesh.

2. ILO trains 56 government and trade union officials on new labour rules

   9 - 17 November 2015

   ILO has provided training to help government officials and senior trade union leaders better understand the newly adopted Bangladesh Labour Rules.

3. Shrimp processing industries discuss labour compliance

   21 October - 22 September 2015

   Employers and workers from Khulna shrimp processing factories discussed a labour compliance checklist for the industry recently.

4. Seminar on advancing interest of Bangladesh’s migrant workers: issues of financial inclusion and social protection

   21 October 2015

   The event organized in collaboration with the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) and the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment will focus on two key issues emerging as major concerns from the perspective of safeguarding the interests of migrant workers from Bangladesh: (a) Financial Inclusion of Migrant workers and (b) Social Protection of Migrant Workers.

5. Fire and General Building Safety Training Module Development Validation Workshop

   18 - 20 October 2015

   The workshop will allow stakeholders to discuss and validate four training modules developed by the ILO International Training Centre (ITC) in Turin as part of a systematic approach to building capacity of government regulators to address fire safety issues.

6. Technical Workshop: National Initiative Preliminary Assessment: Lessons Learned, Trends, and the Way Forward

   15 October 2015

   In order to ensure all preliminary assessments of Ready-Made Garment Factories conducted under the National Initiative supported by ILO are followed-up with lessons learned and clear recommendations, a workshop will convene to discuss the national initiative assessment and quality control process.

7. Follow-up Training Workshops on Workplace Cooperation

   11 - 15 October 2015

   Two back to back workshops will reinforce Workplace Cooperation skills amongst workers, union and employer organization representatives as well as other stakeholders.

8. Occupational Safety and Health unit planning workshop

   7 October 2015

   The objective of the day long workshop is to outline and define roles and responsibilities of OSH Unit at the Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments (DIFE) of the Government of Bangladesh.

9. Occupational Safety and Health KIT Sharing workshop

   6 October 2015

   The objective of the day long workshop is to share the concepts and outline of OSH KIT for managing and smooth functioning of OSH/Safety Committee at the factory level.

10. Training of Trainers (ToT) for officials of the government on Pre Departure Orientation Services (PDOS) for potential migrants

    29 September - 7 October 2015

    The training workshop will build capacity of mid to high level officials from the government who provide pre-departure orientation/training/information to potential migrant workers. The event will take place in collaboration with the Wage Earner’s Welfare Board (WEWB), the Bureau of Manpower Employment and Training (BMET), and the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment (MEWOE)

11. RMG regulatory bodies look to improve information management collaboration

    20 September 2015

    A technical workshop was held in Dhaka 20 September 2015 aimed at enhancing collaboration between and improving the information and knowledge management systems of key RMG sector regulatory oversight authorities.

12. Seeking common DEA assessment standards in Bangladesh

    17 September 2015

    Stakeholders involved in inspecting Bangladesh’s ready-made garment factories for structural, fire and electrical safety met in Dhaka 17 September 2015 to develop harmonized guidelines for Detailed Engineering Assessments (DEA).

13. Fire department officials trained on remediation process for RMG factories

    13 August 2015

    ILO is helping members of the Bangladesh fire service to follow up on the findings of RMG factory safety assessments in a more systematic and effective manner.

14. Government officials gain understanding indigenous people’s issues

    12 August 2015

    Government officials have gained a better understanding of the issues facing indigenous and tribal people in Bangladesh with emphasis on the Chittagong Hill Tracts.

15. Workshop shares experiences of preventing trafficking and ensuring safe migration

    16 - 17 June 2015

    Organizations working to ensure safe migration and prevent labour trafficking met in Dhaka 16-17 June 2015 to share knowledge and experiences of their work.

16. ILO supports first meeting of national child labour council.

    26 May 2015

    The inaugural meeting of the National Child Labour Welfare Council (NCLWC) was held in Dhaka on 26 May 2015 with the support of ILO.

17. Deepening the skills of union master trainers

    13 May 2015

    One of the main lessons learned from the 2013 Rana Plaza disaster, which resulted in death and injury for thousands of workers, was the consequences of un-unionised workplaces with few legislative rights. Workers, who were unable to voice their concern about unsafe work and who could not easily refuse to enter the building because they were scared of losing their job, were particularly vulnerable to the disaster that occurred.