Give workers a voice at COP31

Labour rights groups unveil 23-point charter, demand compensation, protections

Labour rights organisations yesterday demanded fair compensation for climate-related losses, stronger labour protections and representation of workers, particularly women and those in informal employment, in Bangladesh’s delegation to the upcoming COP31 climate conference.

The demands came as the National Alliance for Just Transition Bangladesh (NAJTB), in collaboration with Manusher Jonno Foundation (MJF) and Bangladesh Labour Foundation (BLF), and supported by Oxfam in Bangladesh, unveiled the Bangladesh Workers’ Charter for COP31 at the Bangladesh China Friendship Conference Centre in the capital.

The charter outlines 23 demands across eight negotiation tracks, focusing on the impact of extreme heat, climate-induced displacement and industrial decarbonisation on workers’ jobs and livelihoods.

Speakers called for social protection, workplace safety, worker participation in climate policymaking and funded reskilling programmes to help workers adapt to a greener economy.

Shaheen Anam, executive director of MJF, said informal workers, who account for approximately 84 percent of Bangladesh’s workforce, face disproportionate impacts of climate change.

She called for income protection, job security and targeted support for women, who face additional unpaid care responsibilities and risks of technological displacement.

Referring to the prime minister’s instruction to ensure worker representation, she urged the government to include a woman worker in the COP31 delegation.

Syed Sultan Uddin Ahmmed, executive coordinator of NAJTB and executive director of the Bangladesh Institute of Labour Studies, said workers contribute to the economy while bearing the consequences of a climate crisis they did little to create.

He demanded compensation based on actual losses and meaningful worker participation in decisions affecting their livelihoods.

Presenting the keynote, Mir Mohammad Ali, assistant professor at Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, said Bangladesh lost approximately 250 million workdays to heat-related illness in 2024, citing World Bank estimates.

The charter was developed through eight consultations involving 43 organisations, according to the organisers.

Shaikh Faridul Islam, state minister for environment, forest and climate change, said the ministry would try to incorporate relevant demands into national and local climate policies and Bangladesh’s position paper for COP31.

AKM Ashraf Uddin, member secretary of NAJTB and executive director of BLF, said the green transition would not be sustainable if workers lost wages, jobs and opportunities to participate in negotiations.