ILO for effective partnership between apparel makers, labour leaders

FE Report | Published: April 23, 2014 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2025 06:01:00

The International Labour Organisation (ILO) Tuesday called for an effective partnership of trust among apparel manufacturers and labour leaders for greater sustainability and better working atmosphere in Bangladesh.
The UN agency, which deals with issues like international labour standards and decent work atmosphere, also suggested to the leaders of the newly registered trade unions to be functioning as effective representatives of the workers and resolve issues through fruitful dialogues with the authority.
Senior officials of the ILO also urged the apparel manufacturers and state agencies concerned to provide all necessary supports to the unions for long-term interest of the US$ 22 billion industry.
"The formation and registration of new trade unions is a sign of a new era of collective bargaining and freedom of association in Bangladesh, which can act as a catalyst for change in other industries," ILO Deputy Director General for Field Operations and Partnerships Gilbert Fossoun Houngbo said at an orientation programme.
The National Coordination Committee for Workers' Education (NCCWE), the Bangladesh Institute for Labour Studies (BILS), the IndustriAll Bangladesh Council (IBC) and the ILO jointly organised a day-long orientation on freedom of association for the newly registered trade unions in the readymade garment (RMG) sector at a city hotel where high-ups of the government and labour leaders were present.
Terming RMG sector as a key one for Bangladesh, Mr. Houngbo, also former Prime Minister of Togo, said the trade union leaders should work taking long-term interest of the sector into their consideration.
He also urged the union leaders at the national level to provide adequate guidance to their junior colleagues to ensure their fruitful participation in building a sustainable industry.
ILO Country Director Srinivasa B Reddy said a total of 128 trade unions got registration over the last 30 years before the Rana Plaza tragedy.
"But in the last one year, nearly 140 trade unions in the readymade garment (RMG) industry got registration. It proves that progress is going on," he said with a firm belief that everything can be achieved if there is a mutual trust between workers and owners.
Referring to ILO's various activities to develop skills of the union leaders, he said some 700 workers were trained on various aspects of trade union over the last two years.
"We'll also give training on the issue to 4,000 workers' representatives, owners and government officials in the coming days," he added.
Speaking as chief guest, State Minister for Labour and Employment Mujibul Haque Chunnu expressed his optimism that the newly registered trade unions will act to improve relations between workers and manufacturers.
"The main problem in the RMG sector is lack of confidence and trust," he said.
Criticising the role of buyers to cancel orders on the ground of compliance deficiency, the state minister said the industry had started growing here in an unplanned way three decades ago.
"We're working hard to bring those under planning and discipline. So we need time to this effect and the buyers should not do anything that will cause job cut," he added.
IBC Secretary General Roy Ramesh Chandra said the new leaders must prove that trade union is a pre-condition of more production.
"It's a challenge to all of us and the fate of future trade union activities will largely depend on the success of the unions," he said.
"Rana Plaza tragedy is the high cost of low price. The brands need to pay right prices of the products. They should remain engaged in Bangladesh with a long-term business plan and they should invest to upgrade workplace safety to make the industry stable and sustainable," he added.
Industry Secretary Mikail Shipar and NCCWE Chairperson Md. Zafrul Hasan were among others who also spoke on the occasion.
The US$ 22 billion apparel industry is the country's highest foreign currency earning sector with around 4.0 million workforce and the sector contributes 30 per cent to the GDP.