The Cabinet on Monday in principle approved the draft of Bangladesh Labour (Amendment) Act, 2023, increasing the maternity leave to 120 days from 112 days (16 weeks).

The approval came from the Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at her office in the city.

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“Now a female worker can avail 16 weeks as maternity leave –-eight weeks before the birth of a baby and eight weeks after the birth. But the leave has been made 120 days in the draft law,” said Cabinet Secretary Md Mahbub Hossain while briefing reporters at the Bangladesh Secretariat after the meeting.

A woman can enjoy the leave at her convenient time before or after the delivery of the baby, he said.

Besides, the condition for formation of a trade union was eased in the proposed law.

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To form a trade union, the signatures of 15 percent workers are required in a company having over 3,000 workers and the signatures of 20 percent workers are needed in a company having less than 3,000 employees. As per the existing law, 20 percent signatures are required in both cases.

In the case of a group of companies, the signatures of 20 percent workers (instead of 30pc) are required to form a trade union.

As per the proposed law, the decision of the Labour Appeal Tribunal can be challenged in the Appellate Division not in the High Court Division of the Supreme Court as the tribunal is headed by a High Court judge.

The Cabinet also gave the final approval to the draft of Foreign Voluntary Organisations (Acquisition of Immovable Assets Regulation) Act, 2023 with a provision that such organisations can’t acquire immovable assets without permission of the government.

A foreign voluntary organisation can’t acquire immovable assets through purchase, receiving donation or any other means without the permission of the government, said Mahbub Hossain.

The Cabinet also approved in principle the draft of Payra-Kuakata Development Authority Act, 2023 to make development in a planned way there.

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The Cabinet cleared the draft of an agreement to be signed between Bangladesh and Algeria on mutual exemption of visa requirements for holders of diplomatic, services and official passports.

Meanwhile, the Cabinet relieved the Agriculture Ministry from the responsibility of framing the policy over agricultural investment in foreign lands.