Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen has said that the new government has singled out employment creation as one of its highest priorities during the present five-year term.
The foreign secretary made this statement at a program titled "National Dialogue on Promoting Decent Work to Advance Social Justice" at the Foreign Service Academy in Dhaka on Sunday (31 March).
State Minister for Labour and Employment Md Nazrul Islam Chowdhury was the chief guest at the event. Among others, International Labour Organization (ILO) Country Director for Bangladesh Tuomo Poutiainen and Bangladesh Employers' Federation President Ardashir also spoke at the event.
He said, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has reaffirmed her personal commitment to promoting decent work in the country, with a focus on women and youth, in her address to the ILO's social justice summit in Geneva last June.
"We must progressively move away from the large informality that still characterizes our economy and redouble our efforts towards enhancing productivity and competitiveness of our workers to take full advantage of our demographic dividends," said Masud Bin Momen.
He said that occupational safety and health continue to remain high on our agenda in the aftermath of a series of tragic fire incidents, including one that took place in February.
The foreign secretary also mentioned that Bangladesh has robust legal policies and institutional mechanisms for promoting occupational safety.
He emphasised that Bangladesh has made significant strides in ensuring building and fire safety in the readymade garment sector, which now needs to be replicated in other industrial sectors as well.
The government, in consultation with social partners, has undertaken a commitment to formulate a comprehensive National Minimum Wage Policy as part of the roadmap for labor sector reforms from 2021 to 2026, shared with the ILO constituents.
The National Minimum Wage Policy would be a concise document stipulating certain criteria and modalities for determining minimum wages for different sectors.
