Bangladesh Employers’ Federation (BEF), in collaboration with the Labour Administration and Working Condition Cluster (LAWC) of the ILO Country Office for Bangladesh, organized an online Legal Clinic via zoom on 24 February 2026.
This initiative was supported under the Team Europe Initiative (TEI) – a joint effort of the European Union, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Sweden – on Decent Work in Bangladesh.
The session aimed to create a platform for discussion and exchange on issues relating to the Bangladesh Labour Act (BLA) and International Labour Standards (ILS). It brought together officers of BEF member-firms working in labour law, labour administration, industrial relations, human resources, and occupational health & safety.
Mr. Muhammad Habibur Rahman, Assistant Secretary-General (Legal Affairs), BEF, facilitated the session. The participants actively discussed the agenda of the Legal Clinic, focusing on the best practices of providing festival holidays and payment of Eid bonus considering the forthcoming Eid-ul-Fitr.
The participants of the legal clinic shared the best practices of their respective organizations regarding the festival holidays and payment of festival bonus. During the session it was found that many organizations/associations have very good practices concerning the issues on festival holidays and payment of bonus.
Participating officials also discussed the issues regarding establishment and operational framework of a Central Fund for the oil and gas sector, particularly for companies with 100% foreign investment. Participants also discussed and expressed their concerned regarding the anomalies concerning taking information of actual workers in a factory during application for registration of a trade union.
Ms. Rukshana Yasmin Arzoo and Ms. Rifat Zabeen Khan, Senior Programme Officers of the Labour Administration and Working Conditions (LAWC) Cluster, ILO Country Office for Bangladesh, also attended the event. They thanked the participants for their valuable inputs on the agenda and also appreciated Bangladesh Employers’ Federation (BEF) for taking such initiative for its member firms.
Ms. Rukshana Yasmin Arzoo also requested the participants to provide their opinions of how BEF can extend its legal support and how this legal clinic sessions could be more effective for the participants for the upcoming days.
A total of 46 participants (40 male and 06 female), representing HR, Administration, Compliance, and Legal Departments of BEF member organizations, joined the event.
