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The Bangladesh Institute of Labour Studies (BILS) is a
think tank A think tank, or policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, technology, and culture. Most think tanks are non-govern ...
for
trade union A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits ...
activity and other labour matters in
Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mo ...
. It was founded in 1995 to support the building of trade unions and their activities and to promote trade union causes within government and society. Today, 12 Bangladeshi trade union federations are affiliated with BILS. Unlike many other labour organisations in Bangladesh, the institute is not affiliated with any political party. The institute publishes a biannual journal, Labour.


Organisation

The main office of BILS is in Dhaka. The institute also has a "Labour Resources & Support Centre" in
Chittagong Chittagong ( /ˈtʃɪt əˌɡɒŋ/ ''chit-uh-gong''; ctg, চিটাং; bn, চিটাগং), officially Chattogram ( bn, চট্টগ্রাম), is the second-largest city in Bangladesh after Dhaka and third largest city in ...
and another office in
Manikganj Manikganj is a district situated in Dhaka Division, Bangladesh. Manikganj is one of the green and pollution free towns in Bangladesh. The recent urbanization and highway built joining Dhaka and Shingair Upazilla has given it an outstanding roadv ...
. BILS frequently cooperates with the German social democratic
Friedrich Ebert Foundation The Friedrich Ebert Foundation (''German: Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung e.V.; Abbreviation: FES'') is a German political party foundation associated with, but independent from, the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD). Established in 1925 as th ...
and ''The Daily Star''. The work of BILS has been described by academics as having "provided significant boosts to the efforts of resource-starved Bangladesh unions."


History

BILS was founded in 1995. In April 2006, BILS initiated meetings between trade unions that resulted in a ten-point charter of demands for the improvement of garment workers' labour conditions, especially a raise of the minimum wage. This charter led to the creation of the Minimum Wages Board and the 7-grade minimum wage structure for garment workers still in use today. Also in 2006, BILS together with trade unions, human rights organisations and NGOs formed the Domestic Workers' Rights Network in order to improve the working conditions of domestic workers in Bangladesh. In 2010, the alliance drafted a policy proposal for the protection of domestic workers that was adopted by Bangladesh's government in 2015. Following the
2013 Dhaka garment factory collapse The 2013 Rana Plaza factory collapse (also referred to as the 2013 Savar building collapse or the Collapse of Rana Plaza) was a structural failure that occurred on 24 April 2013 in the Savar Upazila of Dhaka District, Bangladesh, where an ei ...
, BILS joined the Rana Plaza Coordination Committee that led the distribution of payments to the families of those killed and injured by the disaster. In 2017, BILS conducted a study that found Bangladesh factories did not follow
ILO The International Labour Organization (ILO) is a United Nations agency whose mandate is to advance social and economic justice by setting international labour standards. Founded in October 1919 under the League of Nations, it is the first and ol ...
standards for minimum work hours and workplace safety. The survey found that instead of eight hours a day, workers in Bangladesh on average work 12 hours a day. Nearly half of the surveyed transport workers worked for more than 15 hours a day. In that year, the institute together with the Friedrich Ebert Foundation also conducted a three-month training course on labour policy and workers' rights for 16 young trade union leaders. In 2018, BILS called for the abolishment of the regulation that 20 percent of a factory's workers were needed to form a union. In the same year, the institute conducted a study that documented lacking compliance with labour laws in Bangladesh's informal sector. The institute, together with
Sramik Karmachari Oikya Parishad Sramik Karmachari Oikya Parishad (; United Front of Workers and Employees) is a national federation of 16 unions in Bangladesh which collectively represent 90 percent of the unionized labor force in Bangladesh. History Sramik Karmachari Oikya Par ...
and the National Workers Federation, in that year also published 16 demands to improve the working conditions of rickshaw pullers. During the economic crisis caused by the
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, BILS called for the establishment of a national database of unemployed workers to help with their protection.


References

{{Trade unions in Bangladesh navbox 1995 establishments in Bangladesh Think tanks based in Bangladesh Research institutes in Bangladesh Non-governmental organizations