Dhaka, Nov. 19 -- In a major overhaul of labour laws, workers in factories with 20 to 300 employees can now form a trade union with the backing of just 20 workers, down from the previous requirement of 20 percent approval.

The interim government issued the ordinance on Tuesday, amending the labour law to increase workers' rights to organise.

The Advisory Council had approved the proposed amendment on Oct 23, and it was formally announced nearly a month later in the form of an ordinance.

Under the revised law, trade unions can be formed with the following number of worker endorsements based on the total workforce:

* 20 workers for factories with 20 to 300 employees

* 40 workers for 301 to 500 employees

* 100 workers for 501 to 1,500 ...