Approximately Tk 10 billion from Bangladesh’s Labour Welfare Fund (LWF) remains trapped in banks facing liquidity shortages, hindering authorities from providing financial support to struggling laborers and addressing industrial unrest. The LWF, inactive for 15 years and not managed as per its rules, has left many laborers without crucial aid. The Labour Secretary, speaking at a recent debate event, expressed the need to address this issue while pledging to eliminate legal disparities between factories within and outside Export Processing Zones (EPZs) and introduce trade unions in the EPZs. Ongoing unrest in the apparel sector, attributed to both legitimate demands for higher wages and potential external interference, was also discussed. The Secretary suggested that competitor countries might be stoking unrest to weaken Bangladesh’s apparel export market, with some alleging involvement from neighboring nations.
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