Dec 1998, Unstitching the child labour debate - WORKING CONDITIONS IN THE GARMENT INDUSTRY

7 WORKING CONDITIONS IN THE GARMENT INDUSTRY

Contents

In December 1990 a fire broke out in a factory called Saraka near Dhaka whereby 25 women and children were killed. The number of dead was so high because there were no emergency exits. The city's garment workers came out in large numbers to protest the death of the workers. Some of them were dismissed after participating in one of the demonstrations.

Working conditions in the garment industry are generally bad. Garment workers make long hours for very meagre returns and under poor conditions. Most shifts are between 9 and 12 hours, or even more, seven days a week. The only concession employers now and then make is on Friday - the Islamic Holy Day -with a shift of eight hours. Overtime is often compulsory. Under the Factory Act (1965) a maximum of 60 hours per week is fixed, but 80 hours is often reality.

The Government declared for the garment industry minimum wages of 930 taka per month. Women earn in between 400 and 1500 taka. That is not even sufficient to run a single household for which an estimated 1700 taka is needed .(1) Women are in wage discriminated compared to men since their work is often classified as semi-skilled. Despite the long hours and low pay, the garment industry is the first in Bangladesh to provide factory-based employment for poor low-skilled women. The prospect of advancement in the industry is an important aspect of its appeal.

Factory owners often ignore safety standards. Factories are generally crowded and noisy. There is insufficient light, inadequate ventilation and insufficient sanitation. To complete an order workers are sometimes forced to continue through the night while factory gates are locked. Maternity and medical leave are absent. Workers can be dismissed at any possible time, since most of them do not have an employment contract (appointment letter, identity card or pay clip are not provided). Owners do not provide transport at the end of the very long shifts. Women have to walk home late at night when it can be very dangerous and the risk of sexual harassment is real. Payment is often outstanding for 3 to 4 months, while workers should receive their wage on the 7th of next month. For their overtime, most workers receive no more than the normal hourly rate. Under the Factory Act, it should be doubled instead.

Monthly	expenses
House rent	TK 300
Food	TK 800
Transport	TK 200
Medical care	TK 100
Recreation	TK 50
Other	TK 250
Total	TK 1700

In November 1997, a coalition of trade unions came to an agreement with the BGMEA with respect to the four demands regarding working conditions. The demands refer to the right to registration (identity card, appointment letter and pay clip), the adoption of a minimum wage, the establishment of a weekly holiday and a maternity leave. Up till now the demands have not been put into practice by the employers.

Freedom of association and trade union rights are neither respected by employers and nor even by the government. After the Saraka fire of 1990, garment workers came out in large numbers to protest the death of the workers. This spotaneous movement led to a genuine trade union movement. The position of trade unions is however very weak. Many registrated trade unions have collapsed after mass dismissals. Factory owners often got the help from the police by keeping the workers in order and discouraging labour mobilisation. On occasions, the management hires thugs/ gangs to attack protesting workers in the factories. Demonstrations are knocked down and workers are sometimes put in prison after joining trade union activities.

When worker's rights are denied, often their only resource is going to the labour court that can bring justice, but costs money, requires a certain level of union back-up and is extremely slow. The government is not concerned about the rights of the workers. Their policy is directed towards maintaining the garment industry that is country's top earner of foreign currencies. Foreign investors are attracted by Bangladesh' cheap labour, but also the non-fulfillment of labour standards makes this sector highly attractive. If a government is going to pay close attention to this, investors will relocate their industries to other countries that take less care of labour standards.

NGWF, 1998