The Dhaka Third Labour Court on Sunday fixed January 1 to deliver its verdict in the case filed against Nobel laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus and three others on charges of labour law violation at Grameen Telecom. The court chairman Sheikh Merina Sultana set the date on completion of defence argument in the case. Defence lawyer Abdullah Al Mamun concluded the arguments on the day demanding acquittal of his clients from the charges. Professor Yumus and other accused in the case were present before the court. On November 16, Khurshid Alam Khan, the prosecution lawyer for the Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments, ended his arguments demanding maximum punishment for the accused ones.   Earlier, a total of four prosecution witnesses testified before the court. On June 6, the court framed charges against Professor Yunus, and three other top officials of the company — Ashraful Hasan, Nur Jahan Begum and Mohammad Shahjahan in the case. On September 9, 2021, labour inspector SM Arifuzzaman of the DIFE filed the case with the Dhaka Third Labour Court on allegation of labour law violation at Grameen Telecom. According to the case documents, during a visit to the Grameen Telecom office, inspectors of the DIFE found that 101 workers who were supposed to be permanent were working as temporary staff. DIFE also found that no participation fund and welfare fund was formed for them while five per cent of the company’s profit was not provided to the workers as per law.

Alarming statistics have once again exposed the inability of both federal and provincial governments to effectively eliminate child labour, with laws falling short of addressing the pressing issue that persists despite recent crackdowns. According to the documents seen by The Express Tribune, more than 700,000 children between the ages of 10 and 14 are subjected to labour in brick kilns and the agriculture sector across the country. Of the total workforce of over 71 million children engaged in various sectors nationwide, a staggering 26 million are employed in agriculture and brick kilns. The disturbing statistics reveal that amid the claims and assurances by government bodies and institutions to curb child labour, the ground reality tells a different story. Data shared by the Federal Bureau of Statistics with the Senate Secretariat outlines the substantial workforce in the agriculture sector, totalling over 2.51 million workers, including 1.47 million men and 1.04 million women. Moreover, approximately 833,000 labourers—689,000 men and 144,000 women—are employed in brick kilns. Over 693,000 children between the ages of 10 and 14 are engaged in forced labour within the agriculture sector, while 24,478 children are compelled to work in brick kilns, according to the report. Disturbingly, over 399,000 girls and 294,000 boys are toiling in the fields. In contrast, 14,500 boys and 10,000 girls are subjected to labour in brick kilns. Despite provincial legislation prohibiting child labour and setting age limits, the numbers remain alarming: 436,000 in Punjab, 113,000 in Sindh, 90,000 in Balochistan, and over 54,000 children in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa are forced to work in the agriculture sector. Moreover, the document points out that over 14.7 million boys and girls above the age of 15 are involved in agriculture, while 648,000 children are working in brick kilns nationwide. In K-P, 2.934 million children above 15 years of age are engaged in agriculture, with 76,500 working in brick kilns. Sindh accounts for 1.103 million boys and girls in the agriculture sector, while Balochistan reports 3,251 children working in agriculture and over 81,000 in brick kilns. Source: TRIBUNE

Leader of the Opposition and Head of the Labour Party Sir Keir Starmer today said "Bangladesh and the UK are bound by excellent ties and further reinforced by the British-Bangladesh Diaspora". He made this observation during his meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at her place of residence. The Prime Minister is now in London on a four-day visit to attend the State Funeral of the late Queen Elizabeth II. According to the Prime Minister’s Press Wing, Sheikh Hasina expressed  her profound condolences at the Queen’s demise.  Sir Starmer thanked the Prime Minister for her tributes in memory of the Queen. They also recalled Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s meeting and personal rapport with the former Labour Prime Minister Sir Harold Wilson. Prime Minister thanked the Labour leader for his messages on the occasions of Bangabandhu’s Birth Centenary and the Golden Jubilee of Bangladesh’s Independence. Sir Stramer recalled his visit to Bangladesh in 2016 and his meeting with the prime minister.  He expressed satisfaction at the growing number of people of Bangladesh origin being elected to offices of the Labour Party across the UK.  He said that the Labour Party was working on promoting and nurturing young generation leaders that should attract more British-Bangladeshi youth. The two leaders discussed the impact of Russia- Ukraine war particularly on the Global South.  The Prime Minister underscored the need for a negotiated settlement of the conflict to protect common people around the world from food, energy and financial insecurities.  She suggested reviewing whether the sanctions imposed in the wake of the war were having otherwise implications for people in the developing countries. The two sides exchanged views on the possible impacts on bilateral trade relations due to the ongoing inflationary pressures and cost-of-living crisis.  The Labour Party leader said they would continue to advocate for the big retailers in the UK and the West to share the costs with the readymade garment manufacturers. Sir Starmer appreciated Bangladesh’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic under the Prime Minister’s leadership. He reiterated the Labour Party’s commitment to work with vulnerable countries like Bangladesh on climate change issues.  The Bangladesh Prime Minister appreciated the widening climate partnership between the two countries. Sheikh Hasina briefed the Labour Party leader about the growing burden on Bangladesh due to the prolonged presence of the Rohingya from Myanmar.  They discussed the recent flare-up of armed conflicts in close proximity to Bangladesh’s border.  The Prime Minister pointed out that Bangladesh was exercising the utmost restraint despite spill-over effects of the conflicts inside its territory. Later, Lord Swaraj Paul of Marylebone paid a courtesy call on her. The veteran Member of the UK House of Lords reiterated his appreciation for the Prime Minister’s leadership.  He expressed interest in further promoting business and education partnerships between the two countries. Source: BSS AH

After Singapore banned arrivals from India and other South Asian countries due to fears of an explosive Covid-19 outbreak, the country is now facing an increasing coronavirus-induced labour shortage – spraining its economic model. Foreign nationals comprise about a third of the total workforce in Singapore, where construction and shipbuilding sectors rely heavily on low-cost labour especially from India and Bangladesh, says Kentaro Iwamoto in the Nikkei Asia. Even before Singapore stopped entries from India and other South Asian nations, departures and tighter travel rules were already keeping foreign workers away from the country. According to Iwamoto, the crunch has led to delays of construction projects by as much as a year, resulting in a surge of 30 per cent in the price of labour and sparking worries over excessive workloads. “Some workers have even told us that they have been forced to work double shifts, each shift eight hours, for at least half the week since last year,” Nikkei Asia quoted Desiree Leong, casework manager at the Humanitarian Organization for Migration Economics, a local rights group. The number of migrant workers in Singaporean building sites, shipyards and factories plunged by 16 per cent in 2020 to 311,000, according to government statistics. The total number of international workers also decreased by 14 per cent. Meanwhile, the bans on short-term travelers and long-term pass holders from South Asia, which remain in place even though India’s second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic has eased. Although the government last week maintained its annual growth outlook for this year at 4 per cent to 6 per cent, it warned the recovery’s speed would be uneven across industries and flagged the manpower shortage as a drag on construction, reported Nikkei Asia. “Recent border restrictions on the entry of foreign workers from South Asia will exacerbate ongoing severe labor shortages at construction worksites and shipyards,” the Ministry of Trade and Industry said. Singapore’s construction sector shrank by 36 per cent in 2020, while COVID-19 clusters in crowded worker dormitories shut down work sites. Despite the situation stabilising, the industry’s decline continued in the first quarter of 2021, with a 23 per cent year-on-year fall. Project delays in Singapore risk slower real estate sales, stalled facility openings and, potentially, weaker consumption. Thus, industry groups of the country are urging the government to reopen the border for South Asian workers. They argue housing, hospital and transit line projects will be “badly disrupted” if the entry ban continues. Apart from Singapore, Vietnam’s plans to send 500,000 workers abroad in the five years through 2025 have been cast in fresh doubt, partly due to border restrictions in key destinations like Japan, Iwamoto writes. Regarding long hours of work, the Humanitarian Organization for Migration Economics says some migrants have been reported working 14 to 16 hours a day and six days a week. On May 17, nine construction-related industry organisations warned that the current workforce is “already working at maximum capacity, increasing the risks of workplace incidents.” Source: ANI AH