Memoranda of Understanding and Bilateral Labour Agreements
Good practices and provisions in multilateral and bilateral labour agreements and memoranda of understanding
Memoranda of understanding (MoUs) and bilateral labour agreements (BLAs) are important instruments between the countries of origin and countries of destination. They help regulate labour migration, protect migrant workers’ rights and guarantee conditions for decent work.
The Government of Bangladesh has been developing bilateral relationships with countries in the Middle East and East Asia on labour migration through MoUs and BLAs. To strengthen these agreements and better align efforts to its international commitments, the Ministry of Expatriates Welfare and Overseas Employment of the Government of Bangladesh, with support from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and in close collaboration with International Labour Organization (ILO) Bangladesh through its “Application of Migration Policy for Decent Work of Migrant Workers” project, has developed the document titled "Good practices and provisions in multilateral and bilateral labour agreements and memoranda of understanding".
This report was developed through consultations with officials from the Government of Bangladesh, employers’ representatives, workers’ representatives and recruitment agency representatives over a period of six months in 2017. While the three documents were prepared for the Government of Bangladesh, they will be useful for any government seeking to develop MoUs and bilateral agreements.
The Government of Bangladesh has been developing bilateral relationships with countries in the Middle East and East Asia on labour migration through MoUs and BLAs. To strengthen these agreements and better align efforts to its international commitments, the Ministry of Expatriates Welfare and Overseas Employment of the Government of Bangladesh, with support from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and in close collaboration with International Labour Organization (ILO) Bangladesh through its “Application of Migration Policy for Decent Work of Migrant Workers” project, has developed the document titled "Good practices and provisions in multilateral and bilateral labour agreements and memoranda of understanding".
This report was developed through consultations with officials from the Government of Bangladesh, employers’ representatives, workers’ representatives and recruitment agency representatives over a period of six months in 2017. While the three documents were prepared for the Government of Bangladesh, they will be useful for any government seeking to develop MoUs and bilateral agreements.