File photo: Star
Blacklisting union leaders and labour activists is one of the most common yet legally confusing parts of labour law that violates fundamental labour rights. This practice continues despite national labour laws and international labour treaties that protect workers' rights.
According to the ITUC Global Rights Index 2023, about 90 percent of countries violated workers' right to strike, with 79 percent obstructing collective bargaining. The Global Rights Index 2024 reports that 49 percent of countries randomly arrested or jailed union members, an increase from 46 percent in 2023. Additionally, over 40 percent of these countries limited or refused people the right to speak freely or to gather. Blacklisting is accomplished through hidden tactics, such as industry-wide databases managed by employer groups, retaliatory terminations disguised as disciplinary actions, and hiring prohibitions that hinder discharged union members from finding jobs in a wide range of industries.
According to a report by McKinsey & Company, published on March 25, 2021, the RMG sector in Bangladesh employs over 4 million people and accounts for approximately 84 percent of the country's total exports. However, after all the input, workers who opposed the proposed minimum wage increase in 2018, considering it too low, went silent in the following years. In mid-January 2019, water cannons, tear gas, rubber bullets, and batons were used by law enforcement officials to disperse workers...
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