Dhaka: Environment, Forest and Climate Change and Water Resources Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan has emphasized that a just transition is not feasible without ensuring workers’ dignity and adopting worker-centered policies. ‘Current economic models create barriers to achieving workers’ dignity. Immediate implementation of worker-centered policies and safeguards is indispensable,’ she said. The adviser made these remarks while addressing the closing ceremony of ‘Just Transition Convention Bangladesh 2025’ at a city hotel.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, Rizwana stressed the need for timely payment of wages, fair and respectful treatment of workers, and ensuring safe working environments. She highlighted critical issues such as occupational hazards in the ship-breaking industry, stone-crushing, outsourcing workers’ risks, farmers’ debt-related distress and suicides, and the protection of fishing and farming communities.
She underscored the urgency of effective state interventions and the strengthening of tripartite dialogues. The adviser called upon all stakeholders to work together to build a just, safe, and environmentally sustainable future.
AHM Shafiquzzaman, Former Secretary, Ministry of Labour and Employment; Syed Sultan Uddin Ahmed, Executive Director, Bangladesh Institute of Labour Studies (BILS); Anwar Hossain, Adviser, BILS; AKM Ashraf Uddin, Executive Director, Bangladesh Labour Foundation (BLF); Baiba Zarina, Deputy Head of Delegation, Delegation of the European Union to Bangladesh; Ruben Korevaar, Policy Advisor, Mondiaal FNV; and Abdul Kader Howlader, Joint Convener, Sramik Karmachari Oikya Parishad (SKOP) also spoke.
Speakers underscored the importance of balanced and coordinated roles between businesses, workers, and the government. They noted that trade unions, while maintaining a non-partisan stance, can play a strong role in safeguarding workers’ rights.
The convention concluded with a consensus to establish a roadmap and a national platform for just transition, incorporating policy recommendations, institutional safeguards, and practical roll-out plans.