Decent Work for Informal Workers in Bangladesh: A Quest for Legal Safeguards

Abstract

By assessing the constitution of the people’s republic of Bangladesh, labor-related laws, and international conventions, the scenery of informal workers in Bangladesh is shown under this study. The Constitution of Bangladesh guarantees fundamental rights like non-discrimination in job, equitable pay, and social security etc. for all workers which are insufficiently implementable in case of informal workers. The Bangladesh Labor Act-2006 is to protect workers giving social security, occupational safety, health safety, fair wages both for men and women, etc. and unfortunately these are not clearly expressed for this informal workers’ class in our country. This situation leaves them vulnerable to unsafe working conditions, wage imbalance and job insecurity and other so on. International Labor Organization (ILO) plays the most vital role for workers worldwide. Bangladesh has accepted some of the key ILO conventions regarding forced labor, decent working time and equal remuneration whereas not adopted conventions on safe work environment, social security minimum standard etc. Additionally, these gaps block the alignment of labor laws with global perspective and restrain safeguards for informal workers. The study perceives remarkable deficiencies in legal coverage, enforcement, and international agreement with the suggestions of extending Bangladesh Labor Act’s protections to informal workers by ratifying related ILO conventions, and raising awareness about workers’ rights. Building up these frameworks is hard to ensuring equitable labor practices and achieving the Decent Work Agenda, fostering an inclusive labor market that upholds the dignity and rights of all workers in Bangladesh.