Chaumtoli Huq

In December 2015, tea workers from Chandpur and Begum Khan Tea Estates in Habiganj protested the threatened seizure of land they

There is an age-old proverb, “Out of sight out of mind”. This, I fear, is what is happening to the 1,134 workers who died in Rana Plaza, and the thousands who have been injured and are barely surviving.

Three years ago, the world witnessed the Rana Plaza building collapse - one of the most horrific workplace accidents that could have

Since Rana Plaza, there has been a laudable focus on workplace safety in Bangladesh. There are two international safety agreements that

RECENTLY, the Office of the United States Trade Representatives (USTR) called on the government of Bangladesh to improve on its labour rights, and in particular to allow for increased unionisation before it would consider restoring trade benefits. In Bangladesh, it now seems to be increasingly accepted that unionisation or some worker constituted collective will help to improve workplace standards. Of course, labour advocates have been arguing this for years, but Rana Plaza provides a tragic reminder that unions play a critical role in improving workplace safety and labour rights. Therefore, freedom of association has been a key criteria in Bangladesh's review on trade benefits. This is a welcome development.