Introduction:
Bangladesh is a developing country with few
large and some moderate size industries of different kinds. Among these, the
fast growing ready-made garment (RMG) industries are the most prospective ones,
earning the major portion of the country’s foreign currency and providing
employment to a large number of female and male workers. This industry has
successfully transformed Bangladesh into an export-oriented economy. Starting
its journey in the late 1970s with a relatively small investment, the industry
flourished between 1980s and 1990s and became the largest industry in
Bangladesh. These industries made and can continue to make a substantial
contribution to the economic development of the country. The substantial and
conspicuous factors of RMG industry in Bangladesh are cheap labor cost, safe
investments relative to other competing countries, congenial working
atmosphere, government support, and a dynamic private entrepreneurship. All
these factors have easily patronized Bangladesh to become a global partner in
the garment business. Moreover, the industry has become a vehicle for further
industrialization of the country. Other industrial sectors grow on the basis of
an evolving garment industry. In spite of having an impressive performance, the
RMG industry has several problems, especially in terms of frequent conflict and
violence between workers and management. Frequent violence is a very common
pervasive incident around the garments sector which makes all walks of people
(workers, owners, buyers, investors) apprehensive towards its potentiality.
Daily violence has become a common feature in the RMG industry. There is a growing concern that violences are
usually ignored by the owners of the RMG factories. Typically, the factory
owners also actively control the role of management. This controlled management
sometimes disregards some fundamental requirements of workers (like- minimum
payment of wages, unjust payment of wages, irregular and untimely payment of
wages, unfair dismissal and retrenchment, physical and verbal harassment,
discrimination on the grounds of sexual, gender, racial, and religious aspects)
which cause serious hindrance to the productivity and shipment of garments.
When these requirements are ignored by the factory owners, workers become frantic
to materialize their demands through stopping work, demonstration or even
vandalism. In this state, the relationship between workers and management turns
into turmoil and trepidation and overall economic and social condition of the
country remain jeopardized. This is a severe threat to the topmost foreign
exchange earning sector of Bangladesh. This paper is based on data collected
from both management (owners, manager, and officers) and workers by using a
questionnaire comprising close-ended as well as open-ended techniques, and by
visiting garments premises as well as houses of workers to gather information.
Following this introduction, the paper is structured as follows. The next
section (Section II) provides a brief overview of Bangladesh’s RMG industry.
Section III provides some background on the degree of violence in Bangladesh’s
RMG sector, focusing on six major violences during December 2010 and June 2012.
Section IV examines the main causes for violence, while section V provides some
information on conflict resolution processes. Section VI presents the main
findings and key recommendations before Section VII provides some
conclusions.
Overview of Some Recent violence in RMG Sector:
Over the last few years, agitation among the
RMG workers flared up in many RMG factories in Bangladesh. Many garment units
were burnt and damaged by the unruly mob or so-called disruptive forces.
Conflicts between workers and management of RMG industry are gradually
increasing. Upward incidents of violence continue to hit the Bangladeshi
apparel sector. The following are some details on major violence’s in the RMG
sector between December 2010 and December 2013.
Violence of RMG Workers on December 12, 2010
This RMG violence was considered
one of the most catastrophic violences at the end of year of 2010. Both Dhaka
and Chittagong mega city were quaked by the recurrent agitation of RMG workers.
All 11 factories of Korean Youngone Ltd. in the Chittagong Export Processing
Zone (CEPZ) were shut down for an indefinite period following workers violence
over wages. Meanwhile, in Narayanganj and Gazipur, at least 25 people at three
garment factories were injured when the workers clashed with the management
staff and ransacked vehicles, in protest against wages. Agitating workers at
some of these factories of Youngone stopped work, staged demonstrations and
beat up two top executives of the company, protesting "reduction" of
wages despite implementation of the new pay scale. The demonstrators went on
the rampage at two factories: Youngone Sports Shoes Industries Ltd (YSSIL) and
Youngone Sportswear Ltd (YSL). They vandalized machinery, factory gates,
windowpanes and a car. A CEPZ official, preferring anonymity, said the violence
resulted from a "misunderstanding" over wages. In Narayanganj, ten people were injured after
the workers of Robin Tex BD Limited located at Bhulta Gausia village under
Rupganj upazila blocked the Dhaka-Sylhet Highway and ransacked at least five
vehicles alleging the authorities were not following the new salary scale.
However, the government had declared the new scale effective from November.
Sources said some 7,000 to 8,000 workers of Robin Tex BD Limited started
demonstrations early morning instead of joining work. They locked the main gate
from inside and confined the officials. They also ransacked furniture,
computers and machinery of the factory. Later, the workers took to the highway,
put barricade and ransacked the vehicles, halting transport movement for half
an hour. Meanwhile, 15 persons were also injured in a clash among the officials
and the workers of Moazuddin Textile Limited at Purba Chandra area and Knitwear
Limited at Ratanpur village after they staged demonstrations in Kaliakoir upazila
of Gazipur on the same demand. The factory authorities paid the workers' salary
as per the old wage board. They started the demonstration protesting the old
salary structure.
Violence of RMG Workers in Narayanganj on September 22, 2011
At least 10 workers
including a journalist were injured when a clash ensued between the workers and
management of Square Garments in Kachpur industrial area, Naryanganj. According
to the workers, they demonstrated for a few days demanding the implementation
of 16 points, including demands for increased salary and bonus, reduced
overtime duty, provision of regular leave, stopping retrenchment of workers,
ensuring payment of salary and allowances in due time, the end of oppression
and harassment of workers, and the removal of the Managing Director from his
post. Workers said instead of joining work in the morning they began to
demonstrate ahead of their demands inside of the factory. At that time
management side of the garments tried to resist the workers from chanting
slogans and demonstration. Attack and counter attack resulted from this
resistance. Agitated workers forcibly went to the managing director’s room and
ransacked valuable documents and furniture. They lobbed the brickbats at the
building and vandalized windowpanes. Workers of the Square garments immediately
demanded the implementation of their demands and removal of managing director
from his post. Workers announced the recession from work due to the
non-compliance of their demands by the owners of the garments. 10 people from
both of these sides were injured during the clash. Additional police were
deployed in the garments.