Suffering of garments workers: Where is the end?

The export oriented ready-made garment (RMG) sector has emerged as the biggest earner of foreign currency, contributing immensely to the economy of Bangladesh. It has experienced an exponential growth since the 1980s. At a time when jute and jute goods were loosing their traditional markets, it is the RMG sector that injected dynamism in the country's exports as well as in the domestic economy of the country. The sector contributes significantly to the GDP and it also provides employment to a large number of workers, mainly women from lower income families.

It is a matter of great regret that although a great portion of national economy is nourished by RMG, workers engaged in the sector are being neglected over decades. The lives of garments workers are fraught with various problems, notably of security and safety, low wage, unsafe working place, unhygienic environment and many more.

We are yet to overcome the shock of Tazreen blaze followed few months later by the Rana Plaza tragedy. As far as we can recollect, agriculture minister Motia Chowdhury informed at a parliamentary session on July 24, 2013 that an amount of more than Tk 1.27 billion had been deposited to the Prime Minister's fund for assisting the Rana Plaza victims but it is not clear what policy has been adopted for distributing the amount, and how much of the money has already been distributed. The fund should be used in as transparent a manner as possible.

The RMG sector in Bangladesh flouts many relevant laws, rules and regulations, related mainly to working conditions, wage, job security, work hours, sick leave, maternity leave and some other fundamental rights. The incidents of building collapse, fire, and outbreak of different diseases in garments industries reflect gross violation of these provisions and make the laws useless to protect the interest of workers. After the hair raising tragedy of Rana Plaza and Tazreen Fashions, the government amended the Labour Act-2006 to move the spotlight away from it. Although the amended Act has made some improvements but it still falls short of protecting worker's rights and meeting international standards according to Human Rights Watch.

 I remember a remark by Lyndon B Johnson that says "Law is the great civilising machinery.  It liberates the desire to build and subdues the desire to destroy.  And if war can tear us apart, law can unite us - out of fear, or love or reason, or all three." Law is the greatest invention of human civilisation but due to lack of proper implementation we are being deprived of our rights. We rarely experience penal actions by the government against garment owners who are exploiting the poor workers. Observing these situations, it seems that law liberates the desire of garments owners and subdues the desire of garments workers.

The writer is a research assistant at Bangladesh Institute of Law and International Affairs (BILIA). [email protected]