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Garments Workers Federation (GSKF) is a Legal law support of poor garments workers in Bangladesh.
“The minimum wage is not enough for a person to live off. When the minimum wage went up, the workers tell us, so too did their home rent and other expenses and so they continue to struggle,” says Mohamed Mosfequr Rahman, Associate Officer on the clothing workers’ rights project at ActionAid Bangladesh. “The minimum wage is calculated on an eight hour day plus two hours overtime, but many workers are forced to work many more to make ends meet.”
To make matters worse, female workers are routinely harassed, exploited and humiliated in their workplaces. The women we work with report being denied their salaries, sick pay or leave entitlements, with the mostly male factory managers assuming that their largely illiterate and uneducated workforce will lack the means to protest.
“The minimum wage is not enough for a person to live off. When the minimum wage went up, the workers tell us, so too did their home rent and other expenses and so they continue to struggle,” says Mohamed Mosfequr Rahman, Associate Officer on the clothing workers’ rights project at ActionAid Bangladesh. “The minimum wage is calculated on an eight hour day plus two hours overtime, but many workers are forced to work many more to make ends meet.”
To make matters worse, female workers are routinely harassed, exploited and humiliated in their workplaces. The women we work with report being denied their salaries, sick pay or leave entitlements, with the mostly male factory managers assuming that their largely illiterate and uneducated workforce will lack the means to protest.
Current Situation:
The garments sector (garments and knitwear) is the largest and fastest growing manufacturing industry n Bangladesh and accounts for 76% of export earnings (US $6.5 billion in 2004-5). As of 200 7 it comprises around 5000 factories employing 2.5 million workers of whom 75 % are young women (more than 60% under 24 years of whom nearly half are unmarried). Most of the factories are located in Dhaka , Chittagong , Narayanganj, Savar, Tongi and Gazipur with an increasing presence in the Export Promotion Zone. Currently there are eight EPZ exists in different part of the country. This urban concentration means that most workers are internal migrants from the rural areas. It is no exaggeration to claim that the garments industry has created a revolution over the last 20 years in terms of women's empowerment; young women have gained status as they have been able to contribute financially to their families, started savings, gained some degree of freedom and participation in household decision making, have delayed marriage and pregnancy and have had access to training and awareness raising. These gains need to be protected and improved upon.
Whilst Bangladesh is enjoying growth in the industry despite the removal of the quota system under the Multi- Fibre Agreement (MFA) in 2005, the sustainability of the industry is nevertheless at risk from competition, particularly from India and China . Despite tariff free access to the European market, Bangladesh is at a disadvantage as its backward linkages are relatively weak forcing it to rely on its competitors for raw materials. Bangladesh thus needs to make huge efforts to ensure its market and one way is to appeal to ethical sourcing. As the MFA Forum in May 2006 in Dhaka , Bangladesh concluded: " There is now acknowledgement that compliance with national law and international labour standards is a vital component of international competitiveness and the sustainability of the industry".
Although conditions in garments factories have improved since the 80s and are comparatively better than some other sectors, there is still pervasive violation of labour laws and poor working and living conditions for workers. Whilst this can be somewhat attributed to poor regulation, poor management culture and competence as well as owner's profiteering, this situation is exacerbated by the demands placed on factory management by some foreign discount clothing retailers which form the bulk of Bangladesh's customers. They force down prices, play factories off against each other, require short production times, flexibility and seasonal responsiveness. These pressures inevitably lead to low wages, non-compensated overtime, excessive working hours, insecurity of employment, cutting corners in health and safety and worker abuse. NUK's research has found that women garment workers themselves identify irregular payment, unsafe and unhygienic working conditions, opposition to trade unionisation and absence of job security, as their most pressing problems.
Several international organisations have developed codes of practice or social auditing standards based on interpretation of the ILO Conventions. These largely cover the same areas and are listed in the following table together with a brief description of the current situation in Bangladesh garment industry
The garments sector (garments and knitwear) is the largest and fastest growing manufacturing industry n Bangladesh and accounts for 76% of export earnings (US $6.5 billion in 2004-5). As of 200 7 it comprises around 5000 factories employing 2.5 million workers of whom 75 % are young women (more than 60% under 24 years of whom nearly half are unmarried). Most of the factories are located in Dhaka , Chittagong , Narayanganj, Savar, Tongi and Gazipur with an increasing presence in the Export Promotion Zone. Currently there are eight EPZ exists in different part of the country. This urban concentration means that most workers are internal migrants from the rural areas. It is no exaggeration to claim that the garments industry has created a revolution over the last 20 years in terms of women's empowerment; young women have gained status as they have been able to contribute financially to their families, started savings, gained some degree of freedom and participation in household decision making, have delayed marriage and pregnancy and have had access to training and awareness raising. These gains need to be protected and improved upon.
Whilst Bangladesh is enjoying growth in the industry despite the removal of the quota system under the Multi- Fibre Agreement (MFA) in 2005, the sustainability of the industry is nevertheless at risk from competition, particularly from India and China . Despite tariff free access to the European market, Bangladesh is at a disadvantage as its backward linkages are relatively weak forcing it to rely on its competitors for raw materials. Bangladesh thus needs to make huge efforts to ensure its market and one way is to appeal to ethical sourcing. As the MFA Forum in May 2006 in Dhaka , Bangladesh concluded: " There is now acknowledgement that compliance with national law and international labour standards is a vital component of international competitiveness and the sustainability of the industry".
Although conditions in garments factories have improved since the 80s and are comparatively better than some other sectors, there is still pervasive violation of labour laws and poor working and living conditions for workers. Whilst this can be somewhat attributed to poor regulation, poor management culture and competence as well as owner's profiteering, this situation is exacerbated by the demands placed on factory management by some foreign discount clothing retailers which form the bulk of Bangladesh's customers. They force down prices, play factories off against each other, require short production times, flexibility and seasonal responsiveness. These pressures inevitably lead to low wages, non-compensated overtime, excessive working hours, insecurity of employment, cutting corners in health and safety and worker abuse. NUK's research has found that women garment workers themselves identify irregular payment, unsafe and unhygienic working conditions, opposition to trade unionisation and absence of job security, as their most pressing problems.
Several international organisations have developed codes of practice or social auditing standards based on interpretation of the ILO Conventions. These largely cover the same areas and are listed in the following table together with a brief description of the current situation in Bangladesh garment industry