PM to take decision on size of polls-time govt: Anisul

Though the matter of polls-time government is not anywhere in the constitution, the prime minister herself will make a decision on its size, Law Minister Anisul Huq said today.

"I have told you earlier, I am telling you again: the honourable prime minister will make a decision on how many ministers she would need in her cabinet during the polls. If she needs everyone, all the ministers would remain there, and if she thinks she would bring down the size of the cabinet, it is completely her decision. The constitution has given her the authority," he said while talking to reporters after a meeting with a delegation of the International Labour Organization (ILO) on Tuesday (17 October).

The members of the ILO delegation are Country Director Tuomo Poutiainen, programme manager Neeran Ramjuthan, project technical officer Chayanich Thamparipattra, senior programme officer Md Saidul Islam and program officer Chowdhury Albab Kadir.

"We have brought some amendments to the Labour Act; ILO had something to say about the amendments. They told us their points, we have listened to them and some matters were resolved today and gave some clarifications as well. We will sit again here on 22 October and priority areas presented by them [ILO] today would be discussed on that day," Anisul added.

"Their priority areas were like power of calling strikes and increasing the authority of labour courts. The main thing is that I don't think the range of their area of concern is that big; we believe we will be able to resolve it," he further said.