Dhaka: The government has announced the formation of a ten-member Labour Reform Commission, appointing Syed Sultan Uddin Ahmed as its chief. This initiative was officially communicated through a gazette notification issued by the Cabinet Division on Sunday.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the commission comprises a diverse group of experts and representatives from various sectors. The members include Syed Sultan Uddin Ahmed, Executive Director of the Bangladesh Institute of Labour Studies; Dr Mahfuzul Haque, former secretary at the Ministry of Labour and Employment and the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change; and Dr Jakir Hossain, a professor at the Institute of Bangladesh Studies at Rajshahi University. Other notable members are Tapan Dutta, president of the Chattogram divisional committee of the Bangladesh Trade Union Centre; Advocate AKM Nasim, former president of the Bangladesh Labour Court Bar Association; and M Kamran T Rahman, former president of the Bangladesh Employer Federa
tion. The commission also includes Chowdhury Ashikul Alam, president of Bangladesh Trade Union Sangha; Shakil Akhter Chowdhury, General Secretary of Bangladesh Labour Federation; Taslima Akhter, a photographer and labour movement organiser; and one student representative.
The commission is tasked with commencing its work promptly and is expected to gather opinions from all relevant stakeholders. Following this consultative process, the commission will submit its report to Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus within a 90-day timeframe, as stated in the notification. The commission members will receive a status, salary, and benefits as determined by the government. However, any member wishing to volunteer without receiving these benefits must seek permission from the chief adviser.