Press releases
2014
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ILO Deputy DG welcomes advance payments to Rana Plaza survivors and victims' families
22 April 2014
Initial disbursements of TK 50,000 (US$ 645) made to survivors and families of those who died in the Rana Plaza building collapse in April 2013.
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Officials of over 140 newly registered RMG sector Trade Unions receive Orientation on Freedom of Association
22 April 2014
Leaders of 141 newly registered trade unions of the RMG factories along with leaders of over 80 trade union federation in Bangladesh received a day long orientation on issues like collective bargaining and freedom of association.
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Ryder: Rana Plaza legacy must be improved working conditions globally
03 April 2014
The ILO Director-General highlights the human cost of poor working conditions and calls for action to ensure the Rana Plaza tragedy is not repeated.
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ILO Deputy Director-General on first Rana Plaza payments: "Good news for the NWB workers affected and we must also focus on all the victims"
17 March 2014
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Norway funds effort to strengthen labour rights, improve occupational health and safety for 4,000 Bangladeshi workers in garment, leather and shrimp sectors
16 March 2014
"Decent Work and fair globalization are important and related objectives on the Norwegian Government’s agenda. Everybody must enjoy basic workers’ rights, work in an environment where standards are respected, and receive their share of the wealth created,” stated H. E. Ms Merete Lundemo, Ambassador of Norway to Bangladesh.
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Union registrations rise sharply in Bangladesh garment sector: New labour laws pave way to improve conditions, workers’ rights
20 February 2014
The 30 labour officials examined recent changes to labour laws in Bangladesh, which will promote workers’ rights, and facilitate the registration of new trade unions.
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ILO welcomes the upgrading of the Bangladesh Labour Inspectorate
09 February 2014
The ILO welcomes the decision of the Government of Bangladesh to upgrade the Chief Inspector of Factories and Establishments office to a ‘Department’. With this upgrade, the number of labour and factory inspectors will increase to a total of 575 from the current 183 positions.
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New labour inspectors on board to ensure compliance
22 January 2014
To achieve sustainable reform in labour inspection system in Bangladesh, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the program “Promotion of Social and Environmental Standards in the Industry” (PSES), implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaft für internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH on behalf of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), joined hands to develop capacity of the newly recruited labour inspectors of the Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments (DIFE).
2013
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98 to 8000 formal apprentices in three years: Bangladesh's success in learning and earning
14 December 2013
A total of 8000 apprentices across Bangladesh recently completed skills apprenticeships under the TVET Reform Project, supported by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and funded by the European Union (EU). Just three years ago, the number was only 98 apprentices registered under the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET). The Centre of Excellence for Leather has also received funding from the Swiss Development Corporation and USAID’s PRICE programme.
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Bangladesh needs properly skilled workforce say ILO, EU and Bangladesh
27 November 2013
The ILO organized a panel on “Skills for Bangladesh” at the European Development Days 2013 in Brussels. Bangladesh has a fast-growing labour population and needs a properly skilled workforce to be competitive and to ensure decent living conditions for the population, said the ILO, the EU and the government of Bangladesh.
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RMG building safety inspections to start tomorrow after major breakthrough
21 November 2013
Inspections of all export-oriented Ready Made Garment (RMG) and knitwear factory buildings in Bangladesh will start tomorrow, 22 November 2013.
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ILO report presents a path to sustainable growth in Bangladesh
18 November 2013
The new study by the ILO's Research Department presents a series of policies to achieve both economic growth and decent working conditions in Bangladesh.
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ILO to launch new report on Bangladesh
13 November 2013
The International Labour Organization (ILO) will launch a new report Bangladesh: Seeking better employment conditions for better socioeconomic outcomes on Monday 18 November.
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Major ILO programme aims to make Bangladesh garment industry safer
22 October 2013
The US$24m programme has been developed with government, workers and employers in Bangladesh, in response to a number of accidents that have hit the country’s ready-made garment industry.
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Major ILO programme aims to make garment industry safer
21 October 2013
Major ILO programme has been developed with the government, workers and employers in Bangladesh, in response to a number of accidents that have hit the country’s ready-made garment industry.
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ILO to launch major new programme to improve garment factory safety in Bangladesh
21 October 2013
The International Labour Organization (ILO) and the Government of Bangladesh will launch a new programme to improve working conditions in the ready-made garment (RMG) sector in Bangladesh, on Tuesday 22 October in Dhaka.
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ILO to launch major new programme to improve garment factory safety in Bangladesh
21 October 2013
The International Labour Organization (ILO) and the Government of Bangladesh will launch a new programme to improve working conditions in the ready-made garment (RMG) sector in Bangladesh, on Tuesday 22 October in Dhaka.
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Bangladesh Minimum Wages Board returns from study tour to Cambodia and Viet Nam
07 October 2013
Members of the Minimum Wage Board returned to Dhaka on Friday from a study tour to Cambodia and Viet Nam. The aim of the study tour was to better understand the approaches taken in other countries in order to inform the Board’s on-going negotiations on a new minimum wage for Bangladesh’s 4 million garment workers.
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Getting skills and jobs to Bangladesh's poorest
01 October 2013
People from rural Gazipur and remote North Bengal, Bangladesh’s poorest region, are now being employed in the readymade garments sector after completing a 3-month skills training programme. The project is a partnership between Far East Knitting & Dyeing Industries, IDLC Finance, the ILO TVET Reform Project, Gazipur Technical School and College, Care Bangladesh and Shiree.
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Pakistan learning lessons from Bangladesh in structuring informal apprenticeships
27 September 2013
A five-day visit of fourteen high-level officials from Pakistan’s public and private sector concluded today. The officials were here to learn about how the government and industry are working together to structure apprenticeships in Bangladesh’s informal sector, in trades such as motorcycle servicing, mobile phone servicing, tailoring and dressmaking.