The Boilers Act, 1923

It is an act to consolidate and amend the law relating to steam-boilers. Boiler is very

important and risky equipment in the industries so ensuring of safe operation and

maintenance of boiler is mandatory. If any accident takes place due to faulty construction,

bad operation and poor maintenance of boilers a huge destruction regarding life and

properties takes place. Besides these to ensure the product quality, pollution free environment

and conservation of energy smooth and efficient operation of boiler must be ensured. To

ensure the safety of boiler associated life and properties and to maintain smooth production

of industries Boilers Act, Rules and Regulations were promulgated.

The Main Functions of the Inspectorate are:

 Registration of newly installed Boilers

 Yearly inspection of registered Boilers for renewal

 Conducting examination of Boilers Attendants

 Certification of locally manufactured boilers

The Mines Act, 1923

It is an act to amend and consolidate the law relating to the regulation and inspection of

mines. This law states the right candidacy for inspectors, about their job, their powers and the

duties of owners, agents and managers. There are also provisions for health and safety, about

the work hours and limitations of workers are also stated.

The Cotton Industry (Statistics) Act, 1926

An Act to provide for the regular submission of returns of quantities of cotton goods

manufactured and cotton yarn spun in Bangladesh. For the purposes of this Act, unless there

is anything repugnant in the subject or context,-

 "Cotton goods" or “goods” include all tissues and other articles (except yarn and

thread) woven, knitted or otherwise manufactured wholly or partly from cotton yarn;

 "Cotton yarn" or ''yarn" means yarn wholly or partly composed of cotton fibers;

 "Mill" means any building or place where cotton goods are woven, knitted or

otherwise manufactured, or where cotton yarn is spun, by machinery moved otherwise

than by manual labor, and includes every part of such building or place;

 "Owner", in relation to any mill includes the managing agent or other principal officer

of the mill; and

 "Prescribed" means prescribed by rules made under this Act.

The Dock Workers’ Act, 1934

It is an act to provide for the safety, health and welfare of dock workers and for matters

connected with it. The purpose of welfare facilities is to build up from the bottom, to control

work for people so as to enable them to give their best and to train them to understand their

obligation and responsibilities. This Act ensures all welfare facilities including first-aid

appliance, washing facilities, canteen facilities, shelter or rest rooms and suitable launce room

facilities, rooms for children, recreational and educational facilities and house building

facilities for daily necessities in tea estate, medical care for newspaper employees and

compulsory group insurance.

The Industrial Statistics Act, 1942

It is an Act to facilitate the collection of statistics of certain kinds relating to industries.

The Government may, by notification in the official Gazette, direct that statistics shall be

collected relate to any of the following matters, namely:-

 any matter relating to factories,

 any of the following matters so far as they relate to welfare of labor and conditions of
labor, namely:-
 prices of commodities,
 attendance,
 living conditions, including housing, water supply and sanitation,
 indebtedness,
 rents of dwelling houses,
 wages and other earnings,
 provident and other funds provided for labor,
 benefits and amenities provided for labor,
 hours of work,
 employment and unemployment,
 industrial and labor disputes,
 And thereupon the provisions of this Act shall apply to the collection of those
statistics.

The Chittagong Hill-Tracts (Labor Laws) Regulation, 1954

It is a regulation to declare the law applicable in, and provide for the administration of, the

Chittagong Hill Tracks in Bangladesh.

This law acts for the territories under the Hill Tracts law where it deals with the laws of

imports and exports regarding arms, ammunitions, drugs and liquor and others.
The Trade Organizations Ordinance, 1961

An Ordinance to provide for the regulation and control of trade organizations.

It deals with the licensing and registering of trade organizations

Functions:

 Licensing and regulating trade organizations strictly in accordance with the laid down
criteria to block the emergence of fake trade organizations, which might defeat the
purpose of the law.
 To build capacity of trade organizations and to make them truly Business Support
Organizations (BSOs) within the defined parameters of the law.
 To review performance of trade organizations on regular basis to ensure that their
resources are being utilized in accordance with the approved aims and objects.
 To ensure effective representations of all genders and business sectors at all levels in
trade organizations by effectively monitoring the election process.
 To strengthen the dispute resolution mechanism in order to resolve disputes within
trade organizations.
 To liaison with SECP, FPCCIs and other trade organizations to make them vibrant for
the healthy trade activities in Trade.
 To build capacity of the Human Resource of the office to effectively perform their
duties.

The Tea Plantation Labor Ordinance, 1962

It is an act that provides for and regulates medical care, canteens, child care, educational

facilities, housing, period of work, rest, leave, and night work for women and children at tea

plantations. Employment of children under12 years of age at tea plantations is prohibited.

The Control of Employment Ordinance, 1965

It is an ordinance to provide for the collection of information relating to employment in

industrial undertakings and availability of persons therefore, and for the control and

distribution of such employment, and matters connected therewith or incidental there to.

“Industrial undertaking” means,-

 any concern engaged in-

 the manufacture or production of any article or commodity;

 the supply or distribution of light, power, gas or water;

 the supply or maintenance of any kind of mechanized transport;

The Exercise and Duty on Minerals (Labor Welfare) Act, 1967

It is an act to impose a duty of excise on certain minerals for financing measures for

promoting the welfare of labor employed in the mining industry. It is expedient to impose a

duty of excise on certain minerals for financing measures for promoting the welfare of labor

employed in the mining industry and to provide for the administration and utilization of the

proceeds of such duty and for matters ancillary thereto.

The Bangladesh Industrial Development Corporation Order, 1972

It is expedient to provide for the establishment of an Industrial Development Corporation for

the purpose of taking over the assets of the East Pakistan Industrial Development Corporation

and for matters ancillary. Notwithstanding anything contained in the Provincial Industrial

Development Corporation (East Pakistan) Ordinance, 1962 (Ord. No. XXXVII of 1962), as
amended by this Order, or in any other law, rule or regulation for the time being in force, or

in any contract, agreement or document, on the commencement of this Order,- 

(a) the business, projects and undertakings of the East Pakistan Industrial Development

Corporation including all assets, rights, powers and authorities and privileges, and all

property, movable and immovable, cash and bank balances, reserve funds, investments and

all other interests and rights in, or arising out of, such property of that Corporation subsisting

immediately before the commencement of this Order shall stand transferred to and vested in

the Bangladesh Industrial Development Corporation.

The Bangladesh Handloom Board Ordinance, 1977

It is an Ordinance to make provision for the establishment of the Bangladesh Handloom

Board whereas it is expedient to make provision for the establishment of the Bangladesh

Handloom Board for the development of handloom industry and welfare of persons engaged

in handloom industry and for matters connected therewith.

The Foreign Private Investment (Promotion & Protection) Act, 1980

It is an act to provide for the promotion and protection of foreign private investment in

Bangladesh whereas it is expedient to provide for the promotion and protection of foreign

private investment in Bangladesh.

3. (1) The Government may, for the promotion of foreign private investment, sanction

establishment with foreign capital of any industrial undertaking-

(a) Which does not exist in Bangladesh and the establishment whereof, in the opinion of the

Government, is desirable; or

(b) Which is not being carried on in Bangladesh on a scale adequate to the economic and

social needs of the country; or

(c) Which is likely to contribute to-

i. The development of capital, technical and managerial resources of Bangladesh; or

ii. The discovery, mobilization or better utilization of the natural resources; or

iii. The strengthening of the balance of payment of Bangladesh; or

iv. Increasing employment opportunities in Bangladesh; or

v. The economic development of the country in any other manner.

The Bangladesh Export Processing Zone Authority Act, 1980

It is an act for the establishment of the Bangladesh Export Processing Zones Authority

whereas it is expedient to make provision for the establishment of the Bangladesh Export

Processing Zones Authority for creation, development, operation, management and control of

export processing zones and for matters connected therewith.

The Agriculture Labor (Minimum Wages) Ordinance, 1984

An Ordinance to provide for fixation of minimum rates of wages for agricultural laborers

whereas it is expedient to provide for fixation of minimum rates of wages for agricultural

laborers and for matters ancillary thereto.

 1. The minimum rate of wages for agricultural labor per day shall be 3.27 kilograms of

rice or such amount of money as is equal to the price of this quantity of rice in the

local market.

2. The Government may, by notification in the official Gazette, review from time to time

the minimum rate of wages fixed under sub-section (1), on the recommendation of the

Council of Minimum Wages and Prices for Agricultural Labor constituted under

section 4.

3. The Government may, on review of the minimum rate of wages under sub-section (2),

fix different rates of minimum wages for different areas, for different classes of

agricultural laborer or different

4. Kinds of agricultural laborer.

5. Notwithstanding anything contained in this section, no rate of minimum wages shall

be reviewed earlier than three years from the date on which it was fixed, unless

special circumstances so require.

The Bangladesh Cha Shramik Kallyan Fund Ordinance, 1986

It is an Ordinance to provide for the establishment of a Kallyan Fund for the Bangladesh Cha

Sramik whereas it is expedient to provide for the establishment of a Kallyan Fund for the

Bangladesh Cha Sramik and for matters connected therewith.

The Inland Water Transport (Regulation of Employment) act, 1992

It is an act made to control inland vessels and to regulate the employment and service

conditions etc. of workers employed in vessels whereas it is expedient to control inland

vessels and to regulate the employment and service conditions etc. of workers employed in

vessels.

1) The responsibility for the following matters relating to inland vessels shall be placed on

the Director of Labor, namely:-

a) the determination of the terms and conditions of the recruitment and discharge of

workers;

b) the classification of jobs and the determination of the number of workers to be

employed in each category of vessels;

c) the fixing of the working hours, rest periods, holidays and leave facilities for the

workers;

d) the fixing of the wages for the workers;

e) the security of service of the workers;

f) the determination of the measures to be taken by the owner for the medical care of the

workers and their families;

g) the rules for maintenance of pay-rolls and service records of the workers by the

owners;

h) any other matter relating to the employment of workers;

i) the discipline on board the vessels;

j) The determination of the limits for transport of goods in vessels.

The State-owned Manufacturing Industries Workers (Terms and

Conditions of Service) ordinance, 1993

An Act made to implement certain recommendations of the National Wages and Productivity

Commission established for the determination of the conditions of service of the workers of

State-owned manufacturing industries. Whereas it is expedient to provide for the

implementation of certain recommendations of the National Wages and Productivity

Commission for the determination of the conditions of service of the workers of State-owned

manufacturing industries and to provide for matters relating thereto;

Unless there is anything repugnant in the subject or context, in this Act-

a) "Commission" means the National Wages and Productivity Commission established

through Resolution No. SHROZ (?)-10/Wages-2/90 (1)/05 issued on 29th Pausha,

1398/13th January, 1992, accordingly;

b) "night shift", in relation to a State-owned manufacturing industry where a day's work

is done in different shifts, means a shift carried out after midnight;

c) "State-owned manufacturing industry" means any manufacturing industry owned,

nationalized or taken over by the Government or vested in the Government;

d) "worker" means any person, skilled or unskilled, who works for hire or any other kind

of remuneration:

e) Provided that it shall not include persons who are employed in any managerial,

administrative, supervisory or solely clerical capacity or who are agricultural workers

engaged in an agricultural farm, whether ancillary to any industrial unit or not.

The Bangladesh Private Export Processing Zone Act, 1994

The Bangladesh Export Processing Zones Authority (BEPZA) is the official organ of the

government to promote, attracts and facilitates foreign investment in the Export Processing

Zones.

Functions:

a) Promotion of Export

b) Promotion of Diversification of Export

c) Generation of employment

d) Development of Backward and Forward Linkage

e) Transfer of Technology.

f) Upgrade of Skill

g) Development of Management

h) j. Promotion of International Marketing.

The EPZ Workers Association and Industrial Relations Act, 2004

The Government of Bangladesh approved, in principle, draft of a labor law for Export

Processing Zones (EPZ) with the provision to allow workers to form welfare organizations to

bargain for their rights. Special legislation on unionization has prohibited the formation of

unions in the country’s eight Export Processing Zones (EPZs) which are exempt from the

application of the Labor Act and the Factories Act, thereby excluding workers in the zones

from the coverage of laws governing trade union rights, wages, hours and safety and health

standards. Instead, the government enacted the EPZ Workers’ Association and Industrial

Relations Act in 2004 (amended in 2009) that allows only for limited freedom of association
in the EPZs. The law initially envisaged the establishment of ‘Workers Associations’ in the

EPZs. A 2010 amendment renamed the ‘Workers Associations’ as ‘Workers’ Welfare

Societies’ but essentially did not change anything