In order to provide a comprehensive view of the issues relating to the application of ratified Conventions on working time, the Committee considers it appropriate to examine Conventions Nos 1 (hours of work in industry), 14 (weekly rest in industry), 106 (weekly rest in commerce and offices), and 89 (night work of women) together.

The Committee notes the observations of the Trade Union’s International Labour Standards Committee (TU-ILS Committee) with respect to all the above Conventions, received on 1 September 2025.

Hours of work

Article 6(2) of Convention No. 1. Compensation. The Committee notes that the TU-ILS Committee indicates in its observations that in tannery, bookbinding, and printing factories, work beyond eight hours is often not recognized as overtime and therefore is not properly compensated. The Committee requests the Government to provide its comments in this respect. The Committee also requests the Government to provide information on the measures taken or envisaged to ensure that payment of overtime hours is provided in practice in all circumstances at no less than 125 per cent of the ordinary wage rate, irrespective of any compensatory rest granted to the workers concerned.

Weekly rest

Article 2 of Convention No. 106. Scope of application. In its previous comments, the Committee noted that section 4(1)(a) of the Bangladesh Labour Act, 2006 (BLA) excludes from its scope of application governmental offices. The Committee observes that this provision is still in force. The Committee also notes that section 4(1)(b), (e) and (f) of the BLA excludes from its application security printing press, shops or stalls in any public exhibition or show which deal only in retail trade, and shops or stalls in any public fair or bazaar established for religious or charitable purposes. The Committee requests the Government to indicate in which manner it ensures that the provisions of the Convention are given full effect regarding workers employed in establishments that are excluded from the BLA.

Article 2(1) of Convention No. 14 and Article 6(1) of Convention No. 106. Right to weekly rest. In its observations, the TU-ILS Committee indicates that section 103(a) of the BLA, which provides for one day of weekly rest in industrial establishments and one day and a half in shops and other establishments, does not explicitly require that this rest is uninterrupted, leaving room for potential violations, especially in sectors with shift work. The Committee requests the Government to provide its comments in this respect. It also requests the Government to indicate how this provision is applied in practice to ensure that all workers enjoy at least 24 uninterrupted hours of rest per week.

Article 2(2) and (3) of Convention No. 14 and Article 6(2) and (3) of Convention No. 106. Uniformity of weekly rest. Respect for traditions and customs. Further to its previous comments, the Committee notes that according to section 114(2) of the BLA and section 100 of the Bangladesh Labour Rules, 2015 (BLR), the weekly rest day may vary from area to area and may be changed in the public interest. In its observations, the TU-ILS indicates that in factories, workers are often sent on leave in small groups when workloads are low, while in printing and bookbinding industries, there is no fixed weekly rest day. The TU-ILS Committee emphasizes the need to align the granting of weekly rest with local religious and social customs to promote worker well-being and social cohesion. The Committee recalls that the principle of uniformity enshrined in Article 2(2) of Convention No. 14 and Article 6(2) of Convention No. 106 refers to the collective character of weekly rest with a view to ensuring, wherever possible, that it is taken at the same time by all workers on the day established by tradition or custom (2018 General Survey on working-time instruments, para. 202). The Committee requests the Government to provide its comments in this respect. The Committee also requests the Government to provide information on how it ensures that weekly rest is, whenever possible, granted simultaneously to the whole of the staff of each undertaking and so as to coincide with the days already established by the traditions or customs of the country or district, as required in Article 2(2) and (3) of Convention No. 14 and Article 6(2) and (3) of Convention No. 106.

Article 5 of Convention No. 14 and Article 7(2) and 8(3) of Convention No. 106. Compensatory rest. The Committee notes that under section 104 of the BLA workers may, subject to consultation with the representatives of the collective bargaining agent or participation committee, work on the weekly rest day and a compensatory rest day can be added to the festival holiday. In this regard, the Committee recalls the importance of granting compensatory rest within an appropriate lapse of time in order to protect workers’ health and safety and their participation in family life (2018 General Survey concerning working-time instruments, para. 918). The Committee requests the Government to indicate how it is ensured that workers are not required to work excessively long periods without enjoying the weekly rest to which they are entitled.

Night work for women

Article 3 of Convention No. 89. Prohibition on night work for women. Maternity protection. The Committee notes that, pursuant to section 109 of the BLA and section 103 of the BLR no women shall, without her consent, be allowed to work in an establishment between ten o’clock in the evening and six o’clock in the morning. It also notes that section 46 of the Bangladesh Export Processing Zone Labour Act, 2019 (EPZLA) provides that no female worker shall, without her consent and the consent of the Additional Inspector General of concerned Zone, be allowed to work in any enterprise between eight o’clock in the evening and six o‘clock in the morning. The Committee observes that there is no general prohibition against the employment of women at night, if they so consent. The Committee also observes that there are no provisions concerning the protection of women night workers, in relation to maternity. Recalling that pregnant and breastfeeding women may be particularly vulnerable to night work and emphasizing the importance of women night workers who are in this situation being provided with alternative work (2018 General Survey concerning working-time instruments, para. 545), the Committee requests the Government to provide further information on measures taken or envisaged to protect women night workers with regard to maternity. The Committee also recalls that Convention No. 89 will be open for denunciation between 27 February 2031 and 27 February 2032.