Very few RMG units have trade unions

Very few readymade garment (RMG) factories, inspected by the concerned government agency during April-June period, have trade unions (TUs) despite the last year's amendment of labour law that had given workers rights to form TUs, sources said.
Inspectors of the Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments (DIFE) visited 653 factories during the period. Of these, 358 are members of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) and 89 members of the Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA). The remaining 206 are not members of any association.
According to a report, of the inspected BGMEA factories, only some 8 factories or 2 per cent have TUs. Of the BKMEA factories, some 2 factories or nearly 2 per cent have TUs, and of the non-member factories some 29 factories or 14 per cent have TUs.
However, 73 per cent of the BGMEA and the BKMEA factories and 89 per cent of non-member factories have participation committees. Participation committee is a body manned by representatives from both factory owners and workers. TU leaders term this committee as 'pocket committee' of factory owners which actually works to favour owners.
In July 2013, the government amended the Bangladesh Labour Law 2006 allowing garment workers to form trade unions to bargain for their rights. Since then in last one year, according to state minister for labour and employment Mujibul Haque Chunnu, some 179 new trade unions have got government registration.
Labour leaders have blamed non-cooperation and creation of barriers by the factory owners behind the low number of trade unions in the RMG factories. They said workers are frequently threatened, harassed, beaten and sacked when they try to form trade unions. As a result, nowadays the workers show less interest to be united for their rights. Rather they want to continue working with the wages the factory owners willingly pay.
President of the Textile Garment Workers Federation Abul Hossain told the FE Wednesday there were many reasons behind the workers' failure to form TUs although the law permits them.
 "When workers take any move to form trade unions, the factory owners start harassing, threatening, beating and finally dismiss leaders of them creating panic among other workers. Following these, the workers backtrack from the movement fearing job loss," he said.
Mr Hossain said in some cases when workers submit applications to the Department of Labour (DoL) for registration, factory owners submit another application to the DoL by their loyal workers creating barriers for TU registration.
 "Trade unions fail to ensure jobs of workers nowadays. So, the unions become 'paper organisations' discouraging the workers to be united."     
He said eight applications for registration of trade unions under his federation are now pending with the DoL. "Recently, the DoL has completed inspection relating to two applications. But in the meantime, factory owners have submitted two more applications to the DoL by their loyal workers causing delay of their registration."
Mr Hossain said workers of those two factories have already been harassed, beaten and sacked by goons of factory owners. "We sat with the BGMEA leaders two days back to resolve the problems so that we get the two unions registered."
He urged the government and the factory owners not to treat trade unions as harmful for industry.
President of Garment Workers Oikya Forum Moshrefa Mishu said there is no environment of carrying out trade union activities in the country.
She said trade unions ensure democratic rights of workers but the government and the factory owners do not allow workers to be united.
 "The government has allowed trade unions and participation committee through amending the labour law only to impress the foreign buyers, not for workers," Ms Mishu alleged.
Vice president of the BGMEA Shahidullah Azim, however, denied creating any barrier by factory owners in trade union registration.
 "Workers now can directly apply to the DoL for union registration.  It is workers' failure as they can't get united."
 "Workers can carry out rights activities without any intervention from owners," he claimed.