Garment Industry In Bangladesh Research Articles

The politics of corporate responsibility and child labour in the Bangladeshi garment industry

In 1995—after more than two-and-a-half years—a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) concerning child labour in the Bangladeshi garment industry was signed by the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), UNICEF (Bangladesh) and the International Labour Office (ILO), Bangladesh. The agreement and the process were uniquely important in a number of respects and this article explores a question that remains almost unasked, although paradoxically it has often been answered: why did the agreement come into existence and take that particular form? This article provides a detailed and documented analysis of the process leading up to the MOU offering not only new insight but also challenging some of the widely held views about it. Most importantly, the analysis confirms the significance of the so-called Harkin bill and the subsequent threat of boycott as the basic drivers of the entire process. It also points to the use of the Harkin bill by the Asian- American Free Labor Institute (AAFLI) on the ground and the way this was related to AAFLI's active engagement in labour organizing there, concluding that ‘protectionism in disguise’ was hardly the motive. Furthermore, by highlighting the drawn-out nature of the process and uncovering the close links between AAFLI, the International Labor Rights Fund (ILRF) and the Child Labor Coalition (CLC), the analysis challenges claims that the industry critics were uninformed and misguided, and points out that statements warning against ‘rushing into boycotts’ ought not to be based on what occurred in Bangladesh. The article argues that taking into account the efforts it took to move the BGMEA in this case, the approval of softer tactics and the critique and/or rejection of tougher tactics, was as naive as trade sanctions are blunt. In conclusion, in the light of the reported negative consequences for the children becoming a dominant theme in the process, the analysis acknowledges the importance of awareness of the risk of such consequences. However, the article points out that not only were industry critics aware of this and tried from the outset to make the industry accept some kind of responsibility, but also that the negative consequences have their own results serving to redefine the problem, narrowing the agenda and/or transferring moral culpability from corporations to critics.

The Rise of the Bangladesh Garment Industry: Globalization, Women Workers, and Voice

The Bangladesh garment industry is the largest employer of women in the formal manufacturing sector. The owners have been described alternatively as risk-taking entrepreneur of a modernizing economy and as oppressors of women in exploitative sweatshops. This article analyzes the literature to explore the social political and economic contexts of this class and how womens earnings affect household gender dynamics within a framework of exit and voice. It draws on interviews of these garment factory workers to explore how work has different meanings for workers of different classes and how these perceptions influence gender roles and practices within the household. The conditions of the 1971 war in fact created the proto-capitalists and the post-1975 economic policies of the military regime enabled them to become capitalists. The work has different meanings for women of different classes and these perceptions influence gender roles and practices within the household. Women from various class backgrounds are employed because they can be molded into compliant workers. The multi-class character of the workforce combined with the threat of layoffs prevents solidarity and makes unionization difficult. Some single women feel empowered by their earnings. Most married women are unable to leverage their income into greater decision-making power. But the income is essential for household welfare and women need these jobs. Policy recommendations involve national and international actors; they emphasize crSches (day care centers) savings and severance pay at the garment factory level as well as the institution of global living wages and working standards by the International Labour Organization. (excerpt)

The Rise of the Bangladesh Garment Industry: Globalization, Women Workers, and Voice

The Rise of the Bangladesh Garment Industry: Globalization, Women Workers, and Voice

Labour conditions in the export-oriented garment industry in Bangladesh

Labour conditions in the export-oriented garment industry in Bangladesh

Production technology, elasticity of substitution and technical efficiency of the handloom textile industry of Bangladesh

A number of translog and Cobb-Douglas frontier production models were estimated for the Bangladesh handloom textile industry to investigate its production technology and technical efficiency in production. It was found that the technical efficiency of the industry in producing cloth was only 41%. It was concluded that the industry might improve its technical efficiency by increasing its male/female labour ratio and yarn/capital ratio and decreasing its hired/family labour ratio and labour/capital ratio. The production technology of the industry was found to be characterized by a linearly homogeneous Cobb-Douglas function. The elasticity of substitution between labour and capital for the industry was found to be unity.

Solidarität durch ökonomische Rationalität

Abstract The article deals with the crisis of the German welfare system. Protestant churches are challenged by this crisis. Six challenges are discussed: (a) Recognize facts. One fact is, that the economies of countfies like Germany cannot be separated from the trend of economic globalization. It is every country's position in global economic competition which determines the possible Ievel of its national welfare. A secend fact is, that the present old-age insurance system cannot be maintained. The third fact mentioned is the inconsistency of the system of social security. (b) Becoming open for economic thinking: Solidarity is not possible against but only in conformity with economic rationality. (c) Understand the worldwide dimension of solidarity: lt is exactly economic globalization which promotes worldwide solidarity (the growth of textile industry in Bangladesh is taken as an example). (d) Promote selfresponsibility: Those who are able to help themselves should do so more than before so that assistance for the helpless can be maintained. (e) Stimulate innovations in the field of social policy: An example is the negative income tax. (f) Protect the needy: This is indispensable, and it corresponds not only to christian convictions but also to the enlightened self-interest of a secular society.

A right to live: girl workers in the Bangladeshi garment industry.

According to a survey conducted in 1989, there are 772 approved and registered garment factories in Bangladesh. These factories employ approximately 300,000 individuals, 90% of whom are women. A more recent estimate in a Bangladeshi newspaper, however, posits that up to five million people are directly or indirectly dependent upon the garment industry. Many of the women who work in Bangladesh's garment factories are under age 15 years. In some countries, such as the US, the employment of such young individuals constitutes a violation of child labor laws. Therefore, under the Harkin Bill, the US will no longer import garments produced by children younger than age 15 years. Many garment workers under age 15 years have already been put out of work or will soon be terminated. The authors explain that while the intent of the Harkin Bill may be to protect children, it is difficult to adopt the moral high ground in a poor country like Bangladesh. Regardless of one's age in Bangladesh, having a job may be the only way to survive. No job often means no food or shelter. The authors discuss women in the garment industry, one girl's case, alternative employment opportunities, and the future.

Cultural Dopes or Rational Fools? Women and Labour Supply in the Bangladesh Garment Industry

Cultural Dopes or Rational Fools? Women and Labour Supply in the Bangladesh Garment Industry

Textile and Garment Industry in Bangladesh

Textile and Garment Industry in Bangladesh

Estimates of energy and non-energy elasticities in selected Asian manufacturing sectors: Policy implications

This paper presents the results of a study of the demand elasticities for energy and non-energy inputs in the food processing and textile industries in Bangladesh, the Philippines and Thailand. Estimates of substitution elasticities in production were derived by fitting data to a translog cost function for the period 1970–1980 for Bangladesh, 1970–1978 for the Philippines, and 1974–1977 for Thailand. The results varied according to the industries studied and across countries. They were compared with those of several developing and industrialized countries, and substitutability among inputs was found to be greater in the manufacturing sector of the developing countries studies than in those of industrialized countries. The generally high elasticities between labour and energy have implications for relative input pricing and use in developing countries.

Compatibility testing of reactive dyes

The present work deals with the ways of testing the compatibility of reactive dyes with cotton in different textile industries in Bangladesh. This report includes three laboratory trials that were carried out for three different reactive dyes to check the compatibility for use in a dye recipe on cotton knitted goods. In this study, Spectrophotometric analysis was conducted and the fixation of each dye was determined by using computer colour matching system. The results found from different industries were analysed and discussed. This testing can be used as a tool for selecting good quality dyes as well as to reduce dyeing cost and hazard. Finally few recommendations are highlighted to overcome the problem of selecting better quality dyes for cotton goods in textile industries in Bangladesh. DOI: 10.3329/jme.v38i0.903 Journal of Mechanical Engineering Vol.38 Dec. 2007 pp.61-64

Total Productive Maintenance in RMG Sector A Case: Burlingtons Limited, Bangladesh

doi:10.3329/jme.v37i0.827

HEALTH AND OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY FOR FEMALE WORKFORCE OF GARMENT INDUSTRIES IN BANGLADESH

It is the advantage to outsourcing of supply chains that opened up a new door of economic emancipation for Bangladesh. The readymade garments (RMG) of Bangladesh emerge as value chain member of European, USA cloth merchants and retails. Many of them are found economic justification in outsourcing production function to Bangladesh. RMG sector of Bangladesh responded to this outsourcing demand quite successfully. The overwhelming success of the RMG sector of Bangladesh has moved its status in the global context in terms of economic and social development indicators. Despite the challenge that lies ahead, Bangladesh performed well in terms of realizing benefit of economic globalization, particularly its RMG sector. This paper discusses in brief the problem of health and safety issues of female workforce of garment industries in Bangladesh based upon the industry environment, their residential environment, working condition, age, problem of health, causes of diseases, causes of fire accident and their medical facilities.Key Words: Female Workers; Health; Disease; Fire and Safety.DOI: 10.3329/jme.v41i1.5364Journal of Mechanical Engineering, Vol. ME 41, No. 1, June 2010 65-70

Labor Unrest and Bangladesh Labor Act 2006: A Study on Ready Made Garment Factories in Gazipur

The Readymade garment (RMG) industry of Bangladesh has become the backbone of the national economy. It is the highest foreign exchange earner, it employs largest number of people and it generates vibration for other sectors. Despite the impressive performance, the RMG industry has several problems especially in its labor management practices. As a result, a lot of turmoil and disputes often rock the industry. The empirical evidence implies that labor law of the country has not been put into practice appropriately in the RMG industry. Proper and satisfactory implementation of labor law can eradicate the disputes and stop the commotions in the industry. In this study an attempt has been made to find out the relation between implementation of Bangladesh Labor Act 2006 and labor unrest. Seven major factors have been considered which are closely related to labor unrest. The study reveals that employees’ wages and payment is the most significantly correlated factor to labor unrest.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/jbt.v5i2.9932 Journal of Business and Technology (Dhaka) Vol. 5(2), July-December, 2010 1-18