About 37 per cent of audits conducted in Bangladeshi readymade garment factories during the period of January to September 2024 revealed critical violations related to working hours and wages.
More than half of all critical non-compliances in Bangladeshi factories during this period were related to working hours and wages, compared to about one-third globally, according to a recent report.
"From January to September 2024, critical violations related to working hours and wages were found in 37 per cent of audited factories in Bangladesh, more than double the rate of 2023," according to QIMA report.
QIMA is currently operating in more than 100 countries offering supplier audit, laboratory testing and product-inspection services in Asia, Africa, Australia, Europe and North America and South America.
According to the report, the global incidence of such critical violations identified during factory audits was 16 per cent while the rate was 20 per cent and 11 per cent in China and Vietnam respectively.
The rate was 9.0 per cent and 17 per cent in Bangladesh in 2022 and 2023, according to QIMA report.
Citing its previous reports, QIMA said compliance with working hours and wages has long been a pressing issue in global supply chains and the latest audit findings echo trade union concerns, suggesting that worker compensation issues in Bangladesh are 'endemic and pervasive'.
More than a decade after the Rana Plaza tragedy, Bangladesh is no longer synonymous with deadly working conditions, it said, adding a year-long surge in protests by garment workers has highlighted ongoing issues with working hours, pay, and freedom of association in the Bangladeshi RMG sector.
The report, however, said despite these challenges, a recent agreement reached between the industry players and worker representatives in late September offers a glimmer of hope for improvement in Bangladesh's garment industry.
Bangladesh's textile and apparel sector has struggled throughout 2024, it said, adding with dozens of factories shutting down due to labour unrest, global brands and retailers have had to turn elsewhere to stock up for the holiday season.
QIMA data shows that demand for textile and apparel inspections in Bangladesh in Q3 of '24 only grew by 3.0 per cent YoY, at the same time as demand for the same services in China, India, Indonesia and Vietnam has spiked.
The inspections demand by global buyer in the third quarter of 2024 increased by 25 per cent in China, 49 per cent in Vietnam, 30 per cent in Indonesia while 65 per cent in India respectively, according to QIMA.
When asked for comments, Nazma Akter, president of the Sammilito Garment Sramik Federation, partly disagreed with the findings, saying that the report did not provide clear details about the violations and also failed to mention the number of factories involved.
She, however, said that there are issues related to timely monthly wage payments, which she believes are not much high. The latest wage structure has not been fully implemented in all factories, leading to wage issues across different grades, she added.
She also noted that the latest labour unrest in major industrial belts was the outburst of long political suppressions, including absence of freedom of expression.
She called on the stakeholders, including global buyers, to support the industry by continuing to source from Bangladesh to help sustain the country's economy and employment.
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