Since 1990 Bangladesh has experienced a spectacular growth in the area of Clothing and Textile industry. Whereas the value of exports amounted 600million $ in 1990, this rose nearly 8 billion $ in 2006.According to Export Promotion Bureau Bangladesh earned 10.699 billion $ through exports of woven and knitwear, the two sub-sectors of RMG, in fiscal 2007-08. At present RMG sector is the leading source of foreign currency in the country.

On the basis of applicable Labor law, we could divide the RMG sector in two categories. One is EPZ area (Export Processing Zone) what is under the authority of BEPZA (Bangladesh Export Processing Zone Authority,) where workers rights defend by EPZ law. And the other side we could call out side of EPZ area or Industrial area where workers rights defend by Bangladesh Labor law-2006.

Now in Bangladesh, there are 2.2 million workers are toiling in RMG industry where most of them are female workers in order to alive the country’s economy.

We could discuss the labor rights condition at RMG sector in Bangladesh under the major headings. The headings are, 1) Employment status, wages & legally mandated benefits,
2) Voluntary overtime, 3) Harassments and abuse, 4) Freedom of association.

1) Employment status, wages & legally mandated benefits:
If we just take a look in few past, we learn that in 1994 the minimum wage of a garments worker was 13.88 $. At 2006 the 2nd wages board fixed a new minimum wage 24.81 $.At the same year government had announced a new labor law what is known as Bangladesh labor law 2006. According to Trade union leaders it is not more then 30% of the garments factory who are implementing the new minimum wage. In Bangladesh it is near about 4000 garments industry.

The garments factory recruits workers by given a notice at the factory gate. At the time of appointing it is rare that a worker gets his appointment letter or employment contract. Only workers personal information and mailing address keep under record by the management. The workers get only ID card or Attendance card.

It has done as if the management could dismiss any workers at any time. Before the new labor law period it was daily often event, but at present the practice becomes irregular.

In terms of wages, the labor law ordered that every worker would have to get his or her wages within the 5th dated of the following month. The “Good” factory pay the wages at &7th dated of the following month. But we found many factories have paid the wages at 10 or 15 dated of the following month. The overtime benefit for the one month has always kept unpaid and it has paid to the middle of the next month. Few factories have found that they pay the overtime benefit with the wages. Most of the factories don’t provide any pay slip. The factory who provide pay slip they don’t have transparency. If any workers leave the job he would have to lose the overtime benefit sometime the wages of the last month of his or her working period of the leaving factory.

The working day beginning at 7 or 8 am and ending at 8 or 10 pm at evening with one or half hour launch break. Regular working hour is 8 which is ordered by labor law, implemented by too few factories to count and the workers have to work up to 10 to 12 hours, some where it is 9 to 14 hours with 1 hour launch time, sometimes due to emergency shipment the management forced the workers to do night shift work for the whole night. Many factories have found that they always forced the workers by lock the factory main gate to do the excessive overtime. Regular two hors overtime is compulsory, no way to refuse the overtime if any one refuses to do he or she would get dismiss or termination or deducts wages or have to face verbal harassments, sometimes it turn into physical punishment. In addition to, the overtime is never announced in advance.

Most of the factories have seven day working week, some of have six day working week. The workers have two festival leave but in terms of Government holiday doesn’t follow by all factories, it has also seen and very much common that if any factory provides any extra leave or have to give one day close due to government holiday then the workers would have to work in the weekends for those days leave. Moreover the workers don’t get any benefit if they don’t use their mandated leave.

If any worker falls in ill he or she has to take unpaid leave only when it reaches in critical situation. While any workers get ill at the time or working the management ordered him to take rest for few minutes inside the factory and at his work place but doesn’t grant any leave. No one would get any leave at the working time until the physical condition turn into critical. Female workers have to face such language by the midlevel management what she never been expect.

Female workers would have to get 4 months leave with wages at her pregnancy period, what is mandatory by labor law; the factories don’t maintain the law properly. In terms of 4 months wages the factory doesn’t provide the money properly. Sometimes changing workplace, grading on a low level wages or position, consider as a new recruit have to faced by the female workers when they back to factory after given the birth.

2) Voluntary Overtime:
It has been described that the working day starts at 7 or 8 am in the morning and ends at 8 to 10 pm at the evening including 30 minutes to 1 hour launch break. Regular 2 hours overtime is compulsory. No way to refuses to do the overtime, if any one refuses he or she must be dismissed. In case of medical and when it reaches in critical then he would get unpaid leave,

Somewhere management deducts his overtime hour or wages.
It is also been found that due to electricity failure workers have to pass lazy hours but when the electricity are available the workers have to do work more then 12 to 16 hours when the electricity are available but consider as a regular working day which is very much common during the Summer.

The factories never informed the workers in advance if they have overtime; it is always noticed verbally at the time of ending of the working day. The workers don’t have any preparation in advance to do the overtime.

Somewhere the factories forced the workers to do night shift duty, and it reaches often up to 12 to 3am of the following morning, then at 7am he has to back to the factory for his duty.

3) Harassments and abuse:
The midlevel management of the RMG sector belief that verbal harassments and abuse is the part of the production and it is proportional into production. When any one made any mistake in his work what is called “alter” he must be treated with bad languages. Female workers treated with inappropriate and sexually exploited languages. It is very much common in every garments means sewing floor.

Somewhere physical harassment also occurred. Both male and female workers get beaten with stick, sting cone, fiber bundle, clothes, rolling newspaper, and ruler by the supervisor, line chief.

Sexual harassments are not rare even killing by management is also found. Lani Fashin Ltd is the most exact example of such violence like rape and killing.

4) Freedom of Association:
No factory have found that the management willing accept the workers associational rights & Collective bargaining rights. The workers have fear to lose the job for practicing any sort of union activities. Mass termination, decrease work force in order to reduce union members, Dismissal, harassment & tortured by muscle man and law forces agencies these are way to vanish any union activities followed by management. Good factory has accept union activitiesa and provide workers associational rights but this is rare to find out. Though outside of EPZ area, workers could practice limited union activities but inside the EPZ area there is another different practice called WA or workers Association. According to EPZ- law it is mandatory but most of the EPZ factories have management sponsored WA what couldn’t gain workers rights.