By Karisma Amjad
PhD Fellow, Institute of Social Welfare and Research, University of Dhaka, Dhaka (Bangladesh)
(2023). Light & Composition University Press Academic Journal, 14, 1-7
Published Year: 2023
Volume: 14
Page Number: 1-7
ISSN: 2039-3709
Reviewers
Professor Nasrul Eam
Dr. Kanti Ananta Nuzhat
Tanzim Bhuyan
The exploitation of garment workers in Bangladesh is a complex issue that requires a multifaceted approach to address. Garment workers are exploited by garment manufacturers as a result of the intense pressure to keep prices low for fast fashion. Garment industry workers in Bangladesh are exploited in many ways, such as low wages, long hours, and unsafe working conditions. The government of Bangladesh should take measures to protect garment worker’s rights and improve their working conditions, including enforcing labour laws and promoting fair wages, in order to address the issue of exploitation in the garment industry.
How does fashion exploit the garment industry workers in Bangladesh? Explore and discuss
The exploitation of garment workers in Bangladesh is a serious issue that has received global attention in recent years. Bangladesh has an extensive garment industry which has increased significantly its share of the global market as a source of foreign earnings in the last 25 years (Swazan & Das, 2022). Due to the significant pressure to keep prices low for fast fashion, clothing manufacturers exploit garment workers (Bick et al., 2018). This report aims to briefly explore three main aspects of garment worker exploitation in Bangladesh: low wages, long hours, and unsafe working conditions.
This study employs a mixed-methods approach to explore the exploitation of garment workers in Bangladesh. Quantitative data was gathered from secondary sources, including government reports, industry statistics, and academic studies, to provide insights into wages, working hours, and safety conditions. Qualitative data was obtained through content analysis of news articles, case studies, and interviews with workers, focusing on personal experiences related to exploitation. Visual data such as figures and images were used to illustrate disparities in wages and working conditions. This comprehensive approach helps to understand both the systemic issues and the lived experiences of garment workers.
Figure A: Production costs of a $30 USD shirt
Source: Rahman, S. & Yadlapalli, A. (2021). Years after the Rana Plaza tragedy, Bangladesh’s garment workers are still bottom of the pile. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/years-after-the-rana-plaza-tragedy-bangladeshs-garment-workers-are-still-bottom-of-the-pile-159224
Figure A shows that only 0.6% of the total net cost is earned by a worker producing a $ 30 USD shirt based on costs in the European market, 2020.
Figure B: Salary gap between Australian CEOs and Bangladeshi garment workers
Source: Oxfam Australia. (2018). Growing gulf between work and wealth. Australian Fact Sheet.
https://www.oxfam.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/2018-Davos-fact-sheets.pdf
As a result of the high demand worldwide to keep prices low for clothing manufacturers, only 0.6% of the retail price of a t-shirt goes to the worker (see Figure A) (Rahman & Yadlapalli, 2021). This disparity creates a huge salary gap between CEOs and Bangladesh garment workers. According to Oxfam Australia, a CEO in a top fashion company in Australia earns up to $2,500 per hour, whereas a garment worker earns only the legal minimum wage of $0.39 AU per hour (see Figure B) (Brungs, 2023). The low wages of Bangladesh garment workers has created serious socio-economic problems for the worker and their family resulting in a life threatening struggle to make ends meet (The Borgen Project, 2023).
The average shift of a Bangladeshi garment worker is 10 hours per day, with a short break (Balachandran, 2019) and when there are large orders to fulfil during peak times, they are frequently forced to work overtime (The Borgen Project, 2023).
Table A: Working days and working hours per month of female garment workers in Dhaka City
Source: Sikdar, M. M.H., Sarkar, M.S.K., & Sadeka, S. (2014). Socio-Economic Conditions of the Female Garment Workers in the Capital City of Bangladesh. International Journal of Humanities and Social Science, 4(3). https://www.ijhssnet.com/journals/Vol_4_No_3_February_2014/17.pdf
According to a study by Sikdar, Sarkar and Sadeka (2014) the average working hours per day is more than 11.21 hours for garment workers. Sometimes they work 14-16 hours, 7 days a week (Oxfam Australia, 2019). Due to these long working hours the garment workers have an increased the risk of injuries, disease, and mental health problems (Wong et al., 2019).
Figure C: Biggest industrial tragedy in Bangladesh: Rana Plaza collapse in 2013
Source: Rahman, S. & Yadlapalli, A. (2021). Years after the Rana Plaza tragedy, Bangladesh’s garment workers are still bottom of the pile. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/years-after-the-rana-plaza-tragedy-bangladeshs-garment-workers-are-still-bottom-of-the-pile-159224
Figure D: Images of unsafe working conditions inside garment factories in Banglade
Source: Wadud, Z., & Huda, F. Y. (2017) Fire safety in the readymade garment sector in Bangladesh: structural inadequacy vs. management deficiency. Fire Technology, 53 (2). 793-814. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10694-016-0599-x
Figure D shows that unsafe working conditions inside garment factories, such as, stairways, exit doors, and exit conditions do not follow safety regulations in Bangladesh.
The biggest industrial tragedy to ever affect the clothing industry in Bangladesh occurred in 2013 (Figure C), when a garment factory in Dhaka collapsed, killing over 1,100 people and injuring 2,600 more, because they ignored the building codes (Rahman & Yadlapalli, 2021). Most of the factory regulations for inside the building were not adhered to (see Figure D) (Wadud & Huda, 2017). After the incident, the industry promised to improve. A month later, 222 companies agreed to the legally binding Bangladesh Accord on Fire and Building Safety, which was created to protect garment workers at work (Rahman & Yadlapalli, 2021).
The Bangladeshi government raised the monthly wage for garment workers in September 2018 from Tk 5,300 ($63 USD) to Tk 8,000 ($96 USD) (Business & Human Rights: Resource Centre, 2018). However, most factories do not follow government instructions (ILO, 2016) and the low wages routinely paid to garment workers are insufficient money for general household expenditure for their families. (Brungs, 2023). Many of these garment workers suffer trouble making ends meet which forces them to find other ways to survive (The Borgen Project, 2023). Besides, Garment workers do not have sufficient time to do a second job after their work in the garment industry. Indeed, garment workers are exploited by the fashion industry by paid low wages which have significant effects on their socioeconomic conditions.
According to the International Labor Organization (ILO), the working hours for adult workers worldwide are set at 8 hours a day and 48 hours a week (ILO, 2016). However, in Bangladesh, garment workers are frequently to force to work 14 to 16 hours a day, seven days a week. In order to reach the deadline set by fashion brands, they can work till 2 or 3 am during peak season (Sustain Your Style, n.d.). Overtime work and long working hours increases the risk of physical health status and mental health behaviours including occupational injuries; cardiovascular diseases, chronic fatigue, stress; depressive state, anxiety, sleep quality, which can cause mortality, alcohol use abuse and smoking; and self-perceived health, mental health status, hypertension, and health behaviours (Wong et al., 2019). Thus, long working hours effect their physical and mental health.
An Accode of practice on building safety and health safety in garment industries for garment worker is mandated by the ILO (ILO, 2021). Nevertheless, even with this mandates many garment factories in Bangladesh are unsafe and hazardous with poor conditions including the lack of fire exits, no proper ventilation or lighting, and congested siting arrangements such unsafe conditions can cause a range of increasing deaths and injuries. As a result, inside the factory is usually incredibly small due to the close proximity of other employees which creates a very risky working environment (The Borgen Project, 2023). Several retailers and brands signed an agreement on fire and building safety after the clothing factory Rana Plaza collapsed in Bangladesh, which claimed the lives of more than 1,000 employees. The agreement provided funding for building inspections, structural work, fire doors, and worker rights education, as well as training for management on how to identify and address problems (Butler, 2019).
The fashion industry’s exploitation of garment workers is tragic, and the consequences of unsustainable and unethical practices of the fast fashion movement around the world is a multifaceted issue that has garnered increasing attention in recent years. In Bangladesh, this is a particularly complex and systemic issue that will require a multifaceted approach to address. The Bangladesh government, international buyers, factory owners, and consumers must take responsibility in order to protect workers’ rights, provide better wages, ensure reasonable working hours, and require safe working conditions.
Balachandran, P. K. (2019). Unless addressed, wages issue will keep troubling Bangladesh’s garment industry. Daily FT. https://www.ft.lk/columns/Unless-addressed–wages-issue-will-keep-troubling-Bangladesh-s-garment-industry/4-671182
Bick, R., Halsey, E., & Halsey, C. C. (2018). The global environmental injustice of fast fashion. Environmental Health, 17 (92). https://ehjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12940-018-0433-7
Brungs, M. (2023). There are many good ideas to tackle inequality – it’s time we acted on them. The conversation. https://theconversation.com/there-are-many-good-ideas-to-tackle-inequality-its-time-we-acted-on-them–106700
Butler, S. (2019). Why are wages so low for garment workers in Bangladesh? The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/business/2019/jan/21/ low-wages-garment-workers-bangladesh-analysis.
Business & Human Rights: Resource Centre. (27 Sep 2018). Bangladesh: Widespread garment worker protests over minimum wage increase; leads to mass dismissals. https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/latest-news/bangladesh-widespread-garment-worker-protests-over-minimum-wage-increase-leads-to-mass-dismissals/#:~:text=In%20September%202018%2C%20the%20Bangladesh,Tk%205%2C300%20(USD%2063).
International Labour Organization (ILO). (2016). Strengthening workplace safety and labour rights in the Bangladesh ready-made garment sector. https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/—asia/—ro-bangkok/—ilo-dhaka/documents/publication/wcms_474048.pdf
International Labour Organization (ILO). (8 Oct 2021). ILO adopts code of practice on safety and health in textiles, clothing, leather and footwear industries. https://www.ilo.org/global/about-the-ilo/newsroom/news/WCMS_822368/lang–en/index.htm
Oxfam Australia. (2018). Growing gulf between work and wealth. Australian Fact Sheet. https://www.oxfam.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/2018-Davos-fact-sheets.pdf
Oxfam Australia. (2019). The women who make our clothes. What She Makes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WfVWt3Z1d3g
Rahman, S. & Yadlapalli, A. (2021). Years after the Rana Plaza tragedy, Bangladesh’s garment workers are still bottom of the pile. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/years-after-the-rana-plaza-tragedy-bangladeshs-garment-workers-are-still-bottom-of-the-pile-159224
Sikdar, M. M.H., Sarkar, M.S.K., & Sadeka, S. (2014). Socio-economic conditions of the female garment workers in the capital city of Bangladesh. International Journal of Humanities and Social Science, 4(3). https://www.ijhssnet.com/journals/Vol_4_No_3_February_2014/17.pdf
Sustain Your Style. (n.d.). Inhumane working conditions. Retrieved May 10, 2023, from https://www.sustainyourstyle.org/en/working-conditions
Swazan, I. S. & Das, D. (2022). Bangladesh’s emergence as a readymade garment export leader: An examination of the competitive advantages of the garment industry. International Journal of Global Business and Competitiveness, 17,162–174. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42943-022-00049-9
The Borgen Project. (2023). 3 Ways garment workers in Bangladesh are struggling. https://borgenproject.org/tag/unsafe-working-conditions/#:~:text=Garments account for around 80,conditions without any financial protection. 1/3
Wadud, Z., & Huda, F. Y. (2017). Fire safety in the readymade garment sector in Bangladesh: Structural inadequacy vs. management deficiency. Fire Technology, 53 (2), 793-814. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10694-016-0599-x
Wong, K., Chan, A. H.S., & Ngan, S.C. (2019). The effect of long working hours and overtime on occupational health: A meta-analysis of evidence from 1998 to 2018. International Journal of Environ Res Public Health, 16 (12). doi: 10.3390/ijerph16122102
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