Wage, Socio-Economic Condition and Grievances of Garment Workers
1.0 Introduction
The garment industry of Bangladesh has been the key export division and a main source of foreign exchange for the last 30 years. At present, the country generates about $10 billion worth of products each year by exporting garment. The industry provides employment to about 3 million workers of whom 90% are women. It has been a major source of employment for rural migrant women in a country that has increasingly limited rural livelihood options, and where women migrants have been largely excluded from formal work in the cities. In the garment industry in Bangladesh, tasks are allocated largely on the basis of gender. Export-oriented industry is supposed to maintain working conditions that are comparable to international standard because the industry produces for the international market. Therefore, Export oriented industrialization is supposed to have a positive impact on working conditions. However, in most cases, export-oriented industry is based on sub-standard working conditions. Such sub-standard working conditions in the garment industry affect men and women differently because they hold different jobs. Women suffer the worst from adverse working conditions because they hold low-skilled jobs where occupational hazards are greater. Most of the garment factory buildings are overcrowded, congested and poorly ventilated. As a result garment workers are exposed to toxic substance and dust. Raw materials contain dust and fiber particles that hang in the air. Dye, a toxic substance emitted from colored cloth, spreads in the workroom. The workers, particularly the operators and sewing helpers, who are mostly women, continuously inhale these substances. Most factories do not have adequate ventilation and exhaust fans and few workers use masks. Women workers face wage differentials, insecurity and discrimination at various levels and places. They also face a variety of challenges both at work and home in coping with their daily responsibilities.
The garment industry of Bangladesh has been the key export division and a main source of foreign exchange for the last 30 years. At present, the country generates about $10 billion worth of products each year by exporting garment. The industry provides employment to about 3 million workers of whom 90% are women. It has been a major source of employment for rural migrant women in a country that has increasingly limited rural livelihood options, and where women migrants have been largely excluded from formal work in the cities. In the garment industry in Bangladesh, tasks are allocated largely on the basis of gender. Export-oriented industry is supposed to maintain working conditions that are comparable to international standard because the industry produces for the international market. Therefore, Export oriented industrialization is supposed to have a positive impact on working conditions. However, in most cases, export-oriented industry is based on sub-standard working conditions. Such sub-standard working conditions in the garment industry affect men and women differently because they hold different jobs. Women suffer the worst from adverse working conditions because they hold low-skilled jobs where occupational hazards are greater. Most of the garment factory buildings are overcrowded, congested and poorly ventilated. As a result garment workers are exposed to toxic substance and dust. Raw materials contain dust and fiber particles that hang in the air. Dye, a toxic substance emitted from colored cloth, spreads in the workroom. The workers, particularly the operators and sewing helpers, who are mostly women, continuously inhale these substances. Most factories do not have adequate ventilation and exhaust fans and few workers use masks. Women workers face wage differentials, insecurity and discrimination at various levels and places. They also face a variety of challenges both at work and home in coping with their daily responsibilities.
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