Female Labour Inspectors Conference stresses collective efforts for workplace gender equality in Bangladesh

Representatives from the government, employers, and workers convened at the Female Labour Inspectors Conference on Thursday in Dhaka to discuss strategies for promoting gender equality in the workplace in Bangladesh.

At the conference held at the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre in the capital, DIFE (Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments) labour inspectors shared their experience in identifying the key challenges and priorities for gender equality in the country.

Discussion at the conference focused on the importance of partnership and collective efforts to promote gender equality in all industries, supported by coordinated efforts by the government, workers, and employers.

The speakers highlighted the need to eliminate violence and harassment in the workplace, develop a gender-friendly work environment by ensuring maternity protection, balancing care work, having more women in leadership positions and developing skills.

Under the theme "Promoting Gender Equality at Work in Bangladesh," the conference was jointly organised by the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the DIFE of the Ministry of Labour and Employment, Government of Bangladesh.

DIFE is the national labour inspectorate of Bangladesh under the Ministry of Labour and Employment, responsible for ensuring welfare, safety, and healthy working conditions for workers in various sectors by enforcing national labour laws in line with the International Labour Standards.

The department has been implementing a Gender Roadmap (GRM) since July 2020 to facilitate the department’s progress towards gender mainstreaming in the industries in the short, medium, and long term.

Supported by the ILO, visible progress has been made to incorporate gender issues into the labour inspection system and occupational safety and health issues. The proportion of female labour inspectors in DIFE rose from 11 per cent in 2013 to 21 per cent in 2017.

Currently, out of the total 523 existing posts, there are 114 female officials working in DIFE. Among them, 82 are labour inspectors. DIFE also has 21 gender master trainers who provided gender sensitisation training to 237 labour inspectors and other DIFE officials in 23 district offices.

"We have made huge progress in economic participation and opportunity for women, educational attainment through girls' access to education, and Bangladesh has made substantial advancements in improving women's health and well-being," said Md Ehsan-E-Elahi, secretary, Ministry of Labour and Employment. He further expressed the intention to gather the suggestions and findings from the conference, and incorporate them into the amended labour laws and policies.

Tuomo Poutiainen, ILO Country Director in Bangladesh, commended the substantial growth in the capacity of the labour sector, with the number of female labour inspectors rising from just two in 2010 to approximately 82 today. Poutiainen affirmed the ILO's commitment to supporting the government of Bangladesh in advancing gender equality and decent work in the country.

Congratulating the female labour inspectors for their dedication to promoting gender equality and labour rights, Anne van Leeuwen, ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Bangladesh, acknowledged their tangible impact on the lives of workers in Bangladesh.

Lilly Nicholls, high commissioner for Canada in Bangladesh, emphasised the need for collective efforts to ensure that industries evolve in a woman-friendly and environmentally safe manner. Nicholls praised the gender roadmap and inspection checklist as significant innovations and important steps forward.

Md Nasiruddin Ahmed, inspector general, DIFE, gave the vote of thanks. Khaled Mamun Chowdhury, ndc, director general, Department of Labour; Vidiya Amrit Khan, representative of Bangladesh Employers Federation; and Shameem Ara, member, National Coordination Committee on Workers Education (NCCWE) and president, BJSF, among others, spoke.

More than 200 participants, including representatives from the government, employers’ and workers’ organisations, and development partners, attended the events.

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