Staff Correspondent

A legal aid organisation asked the government Saturday to cancel a recommended amendment to the country's labour legislation to ban political involvement of trade unions saying the recommendation was unconstitutional.

Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust (BLAST) also suggested that the government change 77 sections of the Labour Law 2006, at a seminar on labour law at the CIRDAP auditorium.

Farida Yasmin, deputy director (law) of BLAST said that the ties between trade unions and political parties could be narrowed. According to the proposed amendment, trade unions will not be able to link up with any political party or its front organisations.

The proposed amendment will also says bar trade unions from having offices within 200 yards of the boundary of any company. Farida Yasmin suggested that offices could be set up on factory premises by agreement between owners and workers' unions.

"The CBA (collective bargaining agent) must be provided with an office," she said. Among BLAST's other recommendations were that export processing zones be brought under the purview of the labour law with working hours being limited to eight hours with one hour rest and wages disbursed through banks.

It also recommended extending sick leave to a maximum of 28 days from 14 days and said that maternity leave should be allowed as long as the worker wanted it. The labour rights body underlined the need for health insurance for workers and appointing a professional doctor in every factory.

If any worker sustained injury at work, factory owners should make arrangements for his or her treatment. Workers should be given scope to fight a legal battle if there was any problem with wages, according to the BLAST recommendations. BLAST executive director Taslimur Rahman said that the labour law was enacted in 2006 by amalgamating 25 separate laws.

The legislation had been amended recently and the amendments are expected to be made effective soon through an ordinance.