Contribution to the International Communist Seminar
‘Economic Crises and Possibility of a Major World Crisis’
Brussels, 2-4 May 2002

www.icsbrussels.org , ics[at]icsbrussels.org

Bangladesh

Nasreen Beena Shikdar, Jatio Shromik Jote-Bangladesh (National Trade Union Federation)

Present and future of Bangladeshi women garments workers: profile of globalisation

Introduction

When the sky is yet to be clear for dawn the women come out of their houses, destination towards the factories, most of them hail from villages. These neglected, poverty-ridden women, at this phase of struggle for survival, have arrived as worker at the floor of garment factories. They speed through the streets on foot en masse, as if they are striving to overtake the speed of sunrise.

The women who are deprived in society and family for ages, they are deprived too in their new workplace. She does not know what are her rights at workplace. So she is deprived of her rightful wages, though she exhausts her all life-energy competing with the machine at the factory. They are deprived from other rights of workers and human rights, as they are discriminated as women. These workingwomen are the most deprived section among the deprived class, poorest of the poor.

They are compelled to work for 12-14 hours daily, even for whole night during shipment, despite this violate legislation. They walk down 6-7 km to reach the factory, again walk the same way to return home. Moreover they face the danger of insecurity and sexual harassment. They feel helpless in the machine-like environment of the City. They are compelled to seek shelter in the suburban slum area to maintain their lives with such a meagre income.

Inspite of such ordeal she dreams of freedom, leading a decent life. The opportunity of work has enabled her to dream. But if that dream is shattered? If they lose job? If the factory closes down?

Background

Bangladesh was a prosperous land abundant with agricultural crops, cottage industries like muslin and jamdani, fish and poultry, trading with other countries. The merchants as well as pirates from abroad invaded this land to loot wealth and natural resources. Arabs, Portuguese, Dutch, French, English invaded this land time to time. After departure of British colonial rule, the Pakistani rulers plundered Bangladesh (which was named East Pakistan by the Pakistani rulers). Against which a bloody War of Liberation was fought in 1971, and Bangladesh was liberated by the Freedom Fighters on 16 December 1971. Even after liberation, Bangladeshi rulers did not take steps to make the economy self-sufficient by adopting agricultural and industrial policy according to the needs of the country. No land reform was done and no significant industrialisation was done. So millions of workforce is unemployed till now. Besides these natural calamities, like flood, river erosion, cyclones often fall upon the people of Bangladesh making them helpless and shelter less. No cultural renaissance was seen, so feudal culture and backwardness prevailed. Above all, the rulers of Bangladesh subjugated to the dictates of western corporate economic interest, and tried to follow the prescriptions of them. So the country is still underdeveloped and majority of the people are living below the poverty line (BBS 1999).

The garments factories in Bangladesh did not develop from the existing textile industry of Bangladesh. From ancient time Bangladesh had a history of textile manufacturing, though during British colonial rule the industry suffered a brutal repression to facilitate the flourishing of British textile industries in Manchester. The reputation of Muslin textile of Dhaka was worldwide. The handloom industry of Muslin textile was completely destroyed by the British colonial repression.

The garments factories, more accurately speaking, the ready-made garments sector developed due to global market economic restructuring (Kabeer 2000), global relocation of capital (Zaman 1999) and as a peripheral part of global capitalist system (Mitter 1986).

Rising cost of labour in advanced industrialised countries reduced the level of profit of industrial owners. The countries like Hong Kong, Singapore took the advantage of the situation. The investors from the developed West relocated their garments sewing factories here with much ease, as these city-states were very close to them as well as the availability of cheap labour.

But the sudden spurt of garments export from these countries created unbalance in western trade economy. It led to the adoption of the Multifibre Arrangement (MFA) in 1974, which tried to regulate the rapid growth in Third World exports of clothing and textiles in the interest of ‘orderly trade’ (Kabeer 2000). The business corporates of these Southeast Asian countries took a new strategy to face the situation. They went in search of fresh, low-wage countries that were still out of this quota restriction imposed by MFA. At this stage Bangladesh was selected by the corporates of quota restricted countries to set up their garments sewing enterprises. In the last part of 1970s a small number of sub-contracting factories was established in Bangladesh, mainly by local investors, assisted by Southeast Asian technology, connections and information of global market. In the early 1980s Bangladesh government adopted New Industrial Policy promoting the ready-made garments sector (Bhattacharya & Rahman 2001; BGMEA 2002). As a result this sector got a big thrust. The garment industries contribution to Bangladesh export earnings has grown from 1% in 1982 to around 73.3% in 1997-8 (Bangladesh Government web page 2002).

Women constitute 90% of the workers in this sector. The multinationals set up the garments factories in Bangladesh and elsewhere in the "Third World" to utilise the cheap labour, the workers with negligible trade union rights, ‘docile’ ‘submissive’ oriental women workforce.

How the women arrived at factory?

The rural poor women experience proletarianization specifically gendered ways in addition to capitalist exploitation of the rural working people. The break up of marriage, death or disability of male breadwinner of the poor families accelerated proletarianization of women. The break up of marriage mostly caused by inability to meet dowry demand (Kabeer 2000, p 60) and not having a male child. Due to purdah (seclusion of women from male) woman are discouraged to take education so they can't stand on their own feet. Moreover women have to pay dowry for her marriage. Thus female child are considered as liabilities to the parents. This vicious cycle is caused by purdah. Though girls are going to school and working outdoors now a days but they are far behind the boys.

The garment factories

There are about 2600 garment factories in Bangladesh, most of them are members of Bangladesh Garments Manufacturers & Exporters Association (BGMEA). Almost two-third of them are situated in Dhaka, almost one-fourth of them are situated in the port city of Chittagong (BGMEA 1999). In Dhaka City most of the garment factories are situated in the residential area, so they have no amenities to tackle emergency situation like accidental fire.

Almost all the factories are housed in a previously built building that was not made for a factory. So a large number of workers work in a small space. The rooms are crowded and floor-to-floor height is very low. It has been found that 4 garment factories are housed in an 8-storied building (Shimu 1999). This is the usual picture. In every floor there are 500-600 workers. The main entrance of the factory remains locked all-time. Climbing the dark narrow stairs, if any body arrives in the upper floor, he/she will see women are sewing garments at machines congestedly in long rows all over the floor. In other room ironing of clothes are going on. In another place some workers are cutting clothes, other women are folding the clothes on a large table, some are packing. At one side a few women are sewing by needle in hand. Some men are seen working in various sections; some of them are too young. The numbers of men are smaller than those of women. Usually the security, supervisor, management people are men. Though some supervisors may be women.

The passage of stairs is narrow. The length and breadth of doors and windows are too small. Environment is stuffy and dirty. In most cases, due to closed windows, light and air is not sufficient. Many persons use the same toilet, so toilets remain dirty very often and the environment of factory remains stinky most of the time. It poses health & safety hazards not only to the workers, but also to the neighbouring residential areas also.

The working condition of workers

Studies of women workers in Bangladesh have documented how long work hours adversely affects health as well as productivity (Paul-Majumder and Zohir, 1994). My survey found that 95.5% workers work for 13-16 hours daily, only 0.5% workers enjoy 8-hrs work, 3.5% workers have 9-12 working hours. On the other extreme, 0.5% workers have 17-19 working hrs (Shikdar 2002). The workers have to work for the long hours including night work compulsorily (Paul-Majumder and Begum 1997; Shimu 1999; Mondal 2000 p 27), though they get overtime payment. But this overtime payment sometime are being held up or delayed by the employers (Habiba Zaman 1999). In my study I found 32.7% of workers who responded to our interviews were paid not more that 600 Taka (£1 = 81 Taka approximately), 66.3% earned 900-1200 Taka, 1.0% earned 1400-1500 Taka (Shikdar 2002). The workers did not answer directly about their salary; for fear that it might be leaked to employers. They have only informed their job title. So I have calculated their earnings from their job title and approved rate of paying for that job recommended by Bangladesh Government (GoB, 1994), which they are supposed to be paid according to their job title. However it is widely suspected that the women workers are paid either less than the government approved rate or payments are delayed (ASK 2000; Paul-Majumder 2000). It has been observed that the difference between actual payment and government approved rate is higher in case of non-skilled and low-skilled workers (Paul-Majumder & Zohir 1994 pp 38-43). Majority of women workers is in these categories. Like all other legislation employers do not care about approved pay structure of government, because women workers are not organised in trade unions, and the unemployment among workers are high. This is specially true for the new women workers, who work as Helper, the apprentice position. Most of the workers are in the category of Helper.

In my study I found that 94.2% workers feel unsafe at the factory. More than 120 people were killed and several hundred injured in fire-related incidents in garments factories in Dhaka City since 1990, according to Fire Service and Civil defence officials (Daily Star 09/08/01; ASK et al 1998; Shimu 1999). This figure includes 16 workers killed recently in Dhaka (New York Times International 09/08/01). Though the safety regulation has improved nowadays after several incidents of fire, but it is far from required standard (ASK, 2000; ASK, 1999).

I found that 61.1% of respondent women workers feel that they live in a worse accommodation than before (mostly they lived in villages). And 85.43% worker feel that their condition didn't change much after joining garments work, 8.40% workers feel that they are better economically, and 5.88% feel they are not better than before.

The conditions of garments factory in Bangladesh is far from legal & safety requirements. Even ILO observed the conditions as 'reflecting indecent working conditions' (Mondal 2000). They observed that minimum wages are not guaranteed in many units, in almost all factories working hours far exceed 8 hours a day and 48 hours a week, night work beyond 8pm is rampant, weekly holiday is irregular. They had 'most important' findings that the work is without contract and therefore no security and none of the benefits or legal provisions apply to workers. Provision for occupational safety and health is inadequate, they opined. The findings of my research not only support the facts, but I found much worse condition. Lack of safety at work due to fire hazards, lack of canteen and crèche facilities, arrears in wage payments, and non-issuance of contracts, absence of weekly holidays are the day-to-day problems. The living conditions, security and environment of the residential squatters are also not healthy and safe for the workers (Khundker 1998), even it becomes 'lawless kingdom' (Islam 1996).

There were some socio-economic gains achieved by poor women through employment e.g., significant entry of women in the labour market, changing social attitude towards these women, the status of working women in the family has been improved, these women are not considered as burden, the decision making capacity of these women specially about their marriage has developed substantially etc. But these gains are overshadowed by exploitative practices such as lower wages, gender discrimination, harassment, job insecurity and hazardous work environment (Zaman 1999). While women are the main producers of these industries, they are still attributed secondary status and marginalized. The pattern of sex-segregation of jobs is apparent, with men occupying management and technical position, while women are concentrated in operative level positions. A distorted pattern of development does little to alleviate the problems of growing landlessness, unemployment, and often spiralling inflation. Like the western developed countries, Bangladesh is not a strong capitalist economy. It is depended on developed western capitalist economies to sustain its weak depended capitalist economy. The government and employers exploit the workers to the maximum, particularly the weakly organised women workers, to catch up with global capitalist obligation. So women workers in garments sector, which is the major earner of foreign currency of Bangladesh government, have to bear the brunt of all the load of exploitation.

The uncertain future of garment workers

The withdrawal of quota restriction by USA and GSP facilities by EU will have strong impact upon the already vulnerable women garment workers. To compete with other countries the owners of Bangladesh will try to reduce the wage of workers and explore more avenues for exploitation, to keep the labour cost cheaper than now. This may lead to some substitution of male for female labour, as the demand for more skilled labour increases in the technologically upgraded industry (Bhattacharya and Rahman 2001). The proportional decreased dependency on unskilled and less-skilled workforce will definitely throw out a large number of women garments worker out of job. At the dictation of WB, IMF, WTO and ILO the government will restrict further the trade union rights in the name of updating ‘old-fashioned’ labour laws (Mondal 2000). The ‘restructuring’ of labour laws will be necessary to tackle the inevitable labour movement and social unrest following this large-scale retrenchment of workers. Along with curbing trade union rights democratic civil rights might also be restricted in future to protect the interest of corporate global economy. Moreover the global capitalist interests are advocating for casualisation, part-time & temporary work, ‘flexible’ working hours, subcontracting of work etc. to break the united resistance of workers and curbing many rights and benefits of worker payable to a permanent full-time employee; the labour market is segmented; economy is ‘informalised’ to avoid labour laws. The corporate interests are also pressurising the governments to move away from their role of protectors of labour rights as envisaged in the Labour Laws of 1969.

Conclusion

It has become imperative for the women garment workers to join and strengthen the international resistance against global capitalist exploitation for their emancipation. There is no other alternative for the working class than to build up revolutionary trade union movement in their workplace for this.

But there are practical problems in organising the workers in Bangladesh. Researchers (Khan 2001) documented purchasing of TU leaders by NGOs who use these organisations as "spring boards for reaping the ensuing politico-economic benefits in these hey-days of NGOs in the developing world". The allegation of abandoning working class and poor women after projection by global networking (NGOs) organisations is overwhelming (Rowbotham 2001). Not all NGOs are the same. But most of the management people of foreign-funded NGOs are alleged to misappropriate the funds for their own fortune. The big NGOs have become merchants and business corporate. They are investing in many lucrative business enterprises in the name of improving the lot of poor people.

The working class movement of Bangladesh is facing such multi-prong adversaries from home and abroad. They can overcome these obstacles in solidarity with the international working class movement.

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Nasreen Beena Shikdar

PhD student, Sociology, University of Manchester, UK. beenashikdar@hotmail.com