Observation (CEACR) - adopted 2006, published 96th ILC session (2007)

Right of Association (Agriculture) Convention, 1921 (No. 11) - Bangladesh (Ratification: 1972)

The Committee takes note of the Government’s report.

In its previous comments, the Committee recalled that the provisions of the Industrial Relations Ordinance (IRO), 1969, applied only to agricultural workers employed in the organized sectors, namely agricultural farms, such as the tea gardens, sugar mills and other agricultural farms run on a commercial basis, and that agricultural workers including self-employed persons, were not covered by the IRO.

The Committee emphasized that, under Article 1 of the Convention, all those engaged in agriculture should enjoy the same rights of association and combination as industrial workers, which is particularly important in countries where a large proportion of the workforce is engaged in agriculture, and that ratifying Members undertake to “repeal any statutory or other provision restricting such rights in the case of those engaged in agriculture”.

The Committee takes note that the Government indicates that the existing law does not prohibit individual agricultural workers from forming associations. Presently, there are now associations of agriculture workers, boatmen, fishermen, handloom and textile workers in the country. Even non-farm agricultural workers organize themselves and apply for getting registered under the IRO, and they are then given such registration. Therefore, the Government does not feel it necessary to modify the existing legal provisions in this regard.

The Committee urges the Government to take the necessary measures to ensure that all those engaged in agriculture – including those not employed in the organized sector – enjoy the same rights of association and combination as industrial workers and requests the Government to provide concrete information on the number of existing trade unions in the agricultural sector and the number of collective agreements concluded.