Bangladesh Working Hours and Overtime: Employer Guide, MiHCM

Working hours are where Bangladesh’s labour law meets the factory floor every day. They determine pay, drive overtime costs and form the core of every inspection and buyer audit.

The rules sit in Chapter IX of the Bangladesh Labour Act, 2006. They are clear. The challenge is proving, shift after shift, that you follow them.

The limits at a glance

Rule	Limit	Section
Daily hours	Ordinarily 8; up to 10 subject to overtime rules	100
Weekly hours	Ordinarily 48; up to 60 including overtime	102
Annual average	No more than 56 hours a week across a year	102
Spread-over	No more than 10 hours, excluding rest and meal intervals	105
Overtime pay	Twice the ordinary rate of basic wage, dearness allowance and ad hoc or interim wage	108

Rest intervals

No worker can be required to work more than six hours in a day without a one-hour interval for rest or a meal, or more than five hours without a half-hour interval. Anyone working more than eight hours needs either one one-hour interval or two half-hour intervals (Section 101).

For physically hazardous and strenuous work, such as construction, steel mills, ship-breaking and welding, the government sets working hours and rest periods by rule.

Weekly holidays

Workers in shops and establishments are entitled to one and a half days a week; factory and industrial workers receive one day. No wages may be deducted for these holidays (Section 103).

Where a worker loses a weekly holiday because of an exemption, an equal number of compensatory holidays must be granted as soon as possible (Section 104).

Overtime: the rate and the cap

Overtime is paid at twice the ordinary rate of basic wage, dearness allowance and any ad hoc or interim wage. It is not twice the gross wage, so house rent and other allowances are generally outside the calculation. Piece-rate workers are excluded from this provision.

The cap matters as much as the rate. Total hours may not exceed 60 in any week, and must average no more than 56 a week across the year. For road transport workers, overtime may not exceed 150 hours a year. The government may relax the weekly limits for particular industries by written order, for up to six months at a time, where it is satisfied this is in the public or economic interest.

Women and night work

No woman worker may be employed between 10 pm and 6 am without her consent (Section 109). Consent should be recorded, and night-shift rosters should be checked against it.

Attendance records that hold up

The Act links hours, notices and registers in a way that inspectors test directly:

• every establishment must display a notice of working hours, and send two copies to the inspector for approval before work begins;

• any change to working hours needs the inspector’s prior approval;

• no adult worker may work except in line with that notice and the worker register kept under section 9 (Section 113); and

• the government may prescribe the registers employers must keep to show overtime compliance.

The Act also prohibits an adult worker from working in more than one establishment on the same day without the Chief Inspector’s permission.

Where compliance breaks down

• Overtime calculated on gross wage, or below the double rate.

• Weekly totals over 60 hours during peak orders.

• Annual averages that drift above 56 hours without anyone noticing.

• Rosters that no longer match the approved notice.

• Night shifts for women without recorded consent.

• Attendance and payroll records that disagree.

Where systems help

Each of these failures is visible in the data before it becomes a finding. MiHCM Enterprise, supported locally by MiHCM Bangladesh, supports shift and overtime rules within workforce management and connects approved time data to payroll, so weekly and annual limits can be monitored as hours accrue.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the legal working hours in Bangladesh?

Ordinarily eight hours a day and 48 hours a week. With overtime, hours may reach 10 a day and 60 a week, but must average no more than 56 a week across a year.

How is overtime calculated in Bangladesh?

At twice the ordinary rate of basic wage, dearness allowance and any ad hoc or interim wage, under Section 108 of the Bangladesh Labour Act. It is not twice the gross wage.

How many weekly holidays do workers get in Bangladesh?

One and a half days a week for workers in shops and establishments, and one day for factory and industrial workers, without any wage deduction.

Can women work night shifts in Bangladesh?

Only with their consent. No woman worker may be employed between 10 pm and 6 am without her consent.

What attendance records must employers keep in Bangladesh?

A displayed notice of working hours approved by the inspector, the worker register kept under section 9 that matches it, and any registers the government prescribes to show overtime compliance.