Workers' rights groups have urged the government to include workers in Bangladesh's delegation to the COP31 climate conference and ensure they receive fair compensation for climate-related losses.
The call came as the National Alliance for Just Transition Bangladesh (NAJTB), Manusher Jonno Foundation (MJF) and Bangladesh Labour Foundation (BLF) jointly presented the Bangladesh Workers' Charter for COP31 in Dhaka today (14 October).
The charter sets out 23 demands across eight negotiation tracks, focusing on how extreme heat, climate-induced displacement and the shift to cleaner industries affect workers' employment, income and safety.
Syed Sultan Uddin Ahmmed, executive coordinator of NAJTB and executive director of the Bangladesh Institute of Labour Studies (BILS), said workers contribute to the economy while bearing the consequences of a climate crisis they did little to create. He called for compensation based on actual losses and rejected debt-based climate finance and charity-driven support.
Shaheen Anam, executive director of MJF, said informal workers, who make up around 84% of Bangladesh's workforce, face disproportionate risks from climate change. She called for income protection, job security and decent work, as well as targeted support for women facing unpaid care responsibilities and displacement caused by new technologies.
Anam also urged the government to include a woman worker in the country's COP31 delegation.
Presenting the keynote, Mir Mohammad Ali, assistant professor at Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, cited World Bank estimates that Bangladesh lost around 250 million workdays to heat-related illness in 2024.
Developed through eight consultations involving 43 organisations, the charter calls for social protection, workplace safety, worker participation and funded reskilling programmes.
AKM Ashraf Uddin, member secretary of NAJTB and executive director of BLF, said the green transition would not be sustainable if workers lost their jobs and wages. He called on the government, the International Labour Organization and development partners to bring workers' demands into COP31 negotiations.
State Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Shaikh Faridul Islam described the charter as timely and comprehensive. He said the ministry would make efforts to incorporate relevant demands into national and local climate policies and Bangladesh's COP31 position paper.
The minister also said the government had initiated measures to generate 4,000 megawatts of solar power within three months, including 296MW for Dhaka district.
A panel discussion at the event highlighted unequal access to climate finance, occupational exposure to heat and technological displacement. Panellists called for grant-based climate finance, evidence-based compensation and the inclusion of women and informal workers in climate policymaking.
The charter argues that workers must be recognised not only as people affected by climate change but also as participants in decisions shaping their employment, safety and future livelihoods.