AKM Masum Ul Alam
The Government of Bangladesh, on 22 October 2025, signed three important conventions marked as a ‘Remarkable day’ for Bangladesh’s workers and workplace safety with the formal ratification of three key International Labour Organisation (ILO) conventions: No. 155 (1981) (Occupational Safety and Health (OSH)), No. 187 (2006) (Promotional Framework for Occupational Safety and Health), and No. 190 (2019) (Prevention of Violence and Harassment at Work). Among them, Conventions 155 and 187 were declared “fundamental” by the ILO in 2022.
Ratification is a binding commitment which demands stronger legal protections, trained inspectors, enhanced training, effective complaint mechanisms, and transparent accountable system. It clearly defines workers’ rights while establishing enforceable duties for both the state and employers. With these latest ratifications, Bangladesh has now ratified all 10 fundamental ILO conventions, becoming the only country in South Asia.
Bangladesh has made significant achievement on OSH since the tragedies of the 2012 Tazreen and 2013 Rana Plaza accidents, yet workplace deaths and catastrophic incidents continue. According to the Labour Reform Commission Report (2025), a total of 10,210 workers lost their lives in workplace accident over the twelve-year period from 2013 to 2024. In 2024 alone, 629 workers died due to occupational accidents and unsafe working conditions. Recent weeks have provided reminders a deadly factory and chemicals warehouse fire in Mirpur, Dhaka in October 2025 killed at least 16 people and left many more injured or hospitalised and fire broke out at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport. These numbers are more than statistics: each represents families, livelihoods and communities shattered. These include costs related to compensation, lost working time, interruption of production, training and retraining, medical expenses, social assistance and so on.
Bangladesh already has established OSH National instrumental framework of building blocks the Bangladesh Labour Law (2006) and amendments, Labour Rules-2015, the National OSH Policy (2013), National OSH Profile (2019), National Plan of Action on OSH (2021-2030) and a national inspectorate Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments (DIFE) Post-Rana Plaza reforms, international brands initiatives (the Accord, Alliance, ILO) and private sector efforts strengthened OSH in the workplace.
Ratification requires a roadmap which gives the government, employers and workers meeting it needs resources, coordination and measurable targets. OSH must be budgeted as a national development priority. That includes funding for inspectorate expansion and professionalisation; occupational health services; worker training and public awareness; modern testing and monitoring tools; and an OSH research and training institute (National OSH Training & Research Institute). Financing may mix national budget allocations, employer contributions and donor support.
Update and harmonise legislation to reflect modern risks. Strengthen penalties in a way that incentivises compliance rather than merely punishing small employers. Create speedier adjudication for OSH offences and effective remedies and compensation mechanisms for victims. Implement protected mechanisms for worker representation, mandatory safety committees, whistleblower protections and gender-responsive measures to address harassment and violence at work under Convention 190.
The ratification creates momentum. To convert momentum into results, policymakers, employers and social partners agree on plan with measurable milestones. Furthermore, Conventions point out the roles of governments, employers, and workers in improving safety and health at work.
Immediately, Ministry of Labour and Employment take initiative for preparing implementation roadmap for ILO Conventions 155, 187, and 190, detailing timelines, budget allocations, and responsible agencies. Concurrently, establishment of a national OSH financing instrument seeded from the government budget to support priority interventions. A high-level inter-ministerial OSH taskforce, including worker, expert, employer representatives, need also be developed.
The Bangladesh Labour Act-2006 need to be amended to fully reflect the Conventions, expand coverage to high-risk informal sectors, strengthen penalties, and mandate functional safety committees. Finally, nationwide awareness campaigns must be conducted to inform workers of their rights and complaint mechanisms.
Global buyers, brands sourcing from this country bear a shared responsibility for ensuring safe working conditions across their supply chains. The relentless commercial pressure for fast, low-cost production often shifts risks onto local suppliers, influencing unsafe practices and underinvestment in worker safety. To counter this, buyers must enforce their own codes of conduct with real consequences. They need to co-finance for hazard identification, risk assessment and remediation for smaller suppliers. In addition, buyers need to plan for invest in long-term supplier capacity building for development of OSH management systems. International development partners and donors focus on share financing for key national priorities such as strengthen workers organisation, trade union, modernising the labour inspectorate, operationalising NOSHTRI, and expanding OSH research and data systems.
Worker organisations, trade union and NGOs role are crucial. They need to be formally integrated into inspection system, the national OSH council, and the implementation taskforce. Protection of worker and leaders from retaliation must be non-negotiable; voice without protection will not establish safer workplaces. Publicly accessible incident and accident databases, workplace death and occupational diseases reports need to be published publicly, utilising into policy decisions.
The country is preparing to hold its next national parliamentary election. At this critical stage, it is deeply important that political parties demonstrate their commitment to workplace safety and workers’ rights through their election manifestos.
The coming months will reveal whether that commitment translates into real action through the promotion of OSH standards, improved global branding, legal reforms, dedicated budgets, stronger institutions, and expanded social protection. For us, “Ratification is not just a number” is not rhetoric; it is the fundamental rights of workers and their survival for contributing to build safer workplace for all.
The writer is a Technical Expert of Labour Reform Commission and EX ILO OSH and Labour Inspection Specialist
