Bangladeshi trade unions on Sunday placed a 10-point demand ahead of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30), calling for workers’ inclusion at all stages of climate policymaking and implementation to ensure a just and equitable transition.
The demands were announced at a press conference titled “Bangladeshi Workers and Trade Unions’ Demands for COP-30”, held at the Jatiya Press Club in Dhaka.
The event was organised by the National Alliance for Just Transition Bangladesh (NAJTB) in collaboration with the Bangladesh Labour Foundation (BLF), Bangladesh Institute of Labour Studies (BILS), and Mondiaal FNV.
Presided over by Anwar Hossain, Vice Chairman of BILS and President of the Jatiyatabadi Sramik Dal, the event was conducted by Yasin Arafat, Senior Programme Officer of BLF.
Shakil Akhter Chowdhury, General Secretary of the Bangladesh Labour Federation and SKOP leader, emphasised that climate justice is part of workers’ rights.
.”No worker or community should be left behind in the transition to a sustainable, low-carbon, and inclusive economy,” he added.
The key demands include the inclusion of workers’ representatives in all stages of climate-related policy formulation, implementation and monitoring; fair inclusion of workers in climate finance; ensuring occupational safety and a just transition; integrating workers’ fundamental rights into national climate policies; and establishing an independent monitoring authority.
NCCWE’s Naimul Ahsan Jewel said workers in sectors such as agriculture, garments, and tannery remain the most vulnerable to climate change impacts, yet their voices are largely absent in policy discussions.
BILS Executive Director Syed Sultan Uddin Ahmed said that while Bangladeshi workers bear the brunt of climate impacts they are not responsible for global carbon emissions. “The government and corporations must take responsibility for protecting affected workers,” he said.
IBC’s Amirul Haque Amin urged the government and relevant authorities to implement the proposed demands while SKOP’s Abdul Kader Hawlader called on the media to help convey workers’ concerns to the broader public.
Anwar Hossain highlighted the role of journalists in amplifying workers’ issues amid the growing climate crisis, saying that their voices can help bring these demands to the attention of policymakers.
Speakers also lauded Bangladesh for being the only South Asian country to include a separate chapter on Just Transition in its NDC 3.0, while urging COP30 — to be held from November 11–21 in Belém, Brazil — to focus on “turning commitments into implementation.”
They called on global leaders to prioritise people over profit, rights over production, and sustainability over short-term gain.
Leaders from major labour federations, including Abdul Kader Hawlader, Joint Coordinator of the Sramik Karmachari Oikya Parishad (SKOP); Syed Sultan Uddin Ahmed, Executive Director of BILS; Naimul Ahsan Jewel, Member Secretary of the National Coordination Committee for Workers’ Education (NCCWE); and Amirul Haque Amin, Senior Leader of IndustriALL Bangladesh Council (IBC), also spoke at the event.