Bangladesh

Organization responsible for the statistics

The statistics are collected, compiled and published by the Department of Labour.

Objectives and users

Not available.

Coverage

Strikes and lockouts

The staistics cover: Rotating or revolving strikes, working to rule, go-slows, overtime bans or sit-ins are not included in the statistics.

Minimum threshold: None.

Economic activities

The statistics cover manufacturing only.

Workers

Workers directly involved, workers indirectly involved and workers rendered idle in economic units other than those directly involved in the strikes. The statistics cover only full-time regular paid employees; temporary, casual or seasonal workers, part-time workers, unpaid family workers, workers laid off and workers absent on sick or annual leave or absent for any other reason are not included.

Security staff are not covered in the statistics.

Geographic areas

Whole country.

Types of data collected

Concepts and definitions

Strike

Cessation of work by a body of persons employed in any establishment acting in combination or a concerted refusal or refusal under a common understanding of any number of persons who are or have been so employed, to continue to work or to accept employment.

Lockout

The closing of a place of employment or the suspension of work or the refusal by an employer to continue to employ any number of persons employed by him.

The definitions are taken from the Industrial Relations Ordinance 1969 and the Industrial Statistics Act 1942 and its Rules, 1961.

Methods of measurement

Strikes and lockouts

The basic unit of measurement used to record a strike or lockout is the case of dispute and the economic unit.

A strike or lockout that is interrupted but which later resumes, still due to the same case of dispute, is counted as a new strike or lockout.

Work stoppages occurring simultaneously in local workplaces of the same enterprise due to the same case of dispute are counted as one strike or lockout. Those occurring simultaneously in local workplaces of different enterprises, still due to the same case of dispute, are counted as one strike or lockout for each enterprise. Those occurring at different times in local workplaces of the same enterprise, due to the same case of dispute, are counted as one strike or lockout if they occur at different times within a particular month; otherwise each occurrence is counted separately. Work stoppages occurring at different times in local workplaces of different enterprises, still due to the same case of dispute, are counted separately.

Economic units involved

The economic unit is the establishment, encompassing firms, enterprises, and local workplaces, banks, and public sector corporations; it is defined as any office, firm, industrial unit, undertaking, shop or premises in which workmen are employed for the purpose of carrying on any industry.

Workers involved

The number of workers involved is counted as the average of the number of daily absences during the period of the strike or lockout.

Duration

The duration is measured in workdays or workhours from the date the action began in the first economic unit involved up to the date it terminated in the last one.

Time not worked

Total time not worked is measured in workdays, by ascertaining the total amount of time not worked on each day of the action, and summing these totals. Time not worked is not measured for workers indirectly involved nor for those rendered idle in economic units other than those directly involved in the stoppage, even though these workers are included in the number of workers involved. Overtime is not taken into account.

Classifications

Branch of economic activity

Statistics are collected only with respect to manufacturing (ISIC major division 3).

Number of workers involved

Duration

(in workdays)

Time not worked

(in workdays)

Other

Reference period and periodicity

The statistics are compiled and published for periods of a month and a year. They refer to strikes and lockouts beginning during the particular reference period only.

Analytical measures

None.

Historical background of the series

Not available.

Documentations

Series available

Not available.

Bibliographic references

Department of Labour: Bangladesh Labour Journal (annual).

Data published by the ILO

The number of strikes and lockouts, the number of workers involved and the number of days not worked, for manufacturing (ISIC major division 3).

Confidentiality

Not available.

International standards

Not available.

Methods of data collection

There is a legal obligation on the part of employers and workers, as the case may be, to report the occurrence of a strike or lockout. The report, giving a charter of demands, should be made to the Department of Labour. In the case of illegal strikes, the management should report to the Department of Labour, to the police and to the Ministry of Labour and Manpower.