SUKANTA HALDER

The proposed budget for the fiscal year 2025-26 has drawn criticism from the government-appointed Labour Reform Commission, which had earlier called for formal recognition of workers and stronger financial and legal safeguards.

The commission says the budget has largely ignored the needs of the country’s working population.

Despite rising living costs and repeated calls for fair wages and broader social protection, the budget offers no clear measures to support millions of workers, said Syed Sultan Uddin Ahmed, chairman of the commission.

Following the political changeover in August last year, the interim government appointed the Labour Reform Commission in November. The commission submitted its recommendations to Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus in April this year.

Among its proposals, the commission urged the government to provide legal protection and formal recognition for all workers. This would cover those in both the formal and informal sectors, as well as migrant workers and self-employed individuals, under a comprehensive labour law.

It also recommended setting national minimum wages that would ensure a decent standard of living. The report suggested revising both national and sectoral wages every three years to reflect inflation and the cost of living.

In an interview with The Daily Star recently, Ahmed said, “We had hoped that the government would seriously consider our proposals, but in reality, that was not reflected.”

He noted that although the budget speech outlined 11 priorities, not one focused on workers. “There are seven crore working people in Bangladesh who deserve attention.”

Ahmed pointed out that the Bangladesh Labour Welfare Foundation, a state-backed body meant to support workers, has never received an allocation in the national budget.

“This is in no way expected,” he added.

He said that 85 percent of workers are employed in the informal sector in Bangladesh, yet no social safety net exists for them. There is also no protection for people who are unemployed or seasonally jobless.

“Our expectation was that at least the government would call us and ask how much money it would initially cost. But that did not happen,” commented Ahmed, who is also the executive director of the Bangladesh Institute of Labour Studies (BILS).

He said that their recommendations were not only for the ministry concerned but also for other bodies such as the National Pension Authority.

The formation of such institutions, he said, should be shaped by discussions about social safety for domestic workers, rickshaw pullers, construction workers and others. So far, no such talks have taken place.

Regarding the commission report, he said the chief adviser, the labour adviser and the labour ministry all responded positively and welcomed the recommendations.

“The government, including the chief adviser, assured us that the report would be implemented word for word, which was very encouraging,” he said.

While he acknowledged that the labour ministry is working on the matter, Ahmed insisted there should have been consultation and budget allocations before any review began.

“The public, workers and labour organisations want some visible steps,” he said. “I am not saying the government is ignoring our report, but we expect proactiveness.”

Ahmed noted that vulnerability among workers is rising by the day due to factory closures, political instability and international issues.

“We feel that while some of our recommendations require political consensus, most of them need administrative restructuring, change and reform,” he said.

“Political consensus is the main priority, and discussions are now focused on election reform, constitutional reforms and related matters; people think other reports are being sidelined,” Ahmed said.

“This is our main concern.”